Bloodstained Tears Book 1: What if?
by Vampires Will Never Hurt Us
Summary: Four becomes two. Wars rage. Freedom no longer exists. What happens two cats go against all odds for love and the safety of the Clans? Full Summary inside. Please R&R! Rated T for safety.
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

**LakeClan**

**Leader:** Hawkstar - Dark brown tom with a white underbelly and ice-blue eyes.

**Deputy:** Rowanclaw - Ginger tom.

**Medicine Cat:** Mothwing - Dappled golden she-cat.

**Apprentice, **Willowpaw

**Warriors:**

Mistyfoot - Gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Blackclaw - Smoky black tom.

**Apprentice, **Beechpaw

Voletooth - Small brown tabby tom.

Swallowtail - Dark tabby she-cat.

Stonestream - Gray tom.

Reedwhisker - Black tom.

**Apprentice,** Ripplepaw

Littlecloud - Very small tabby tom.

Oakfur - Small brown tom.

**Apprentice,** Smokepaw

Cedarheart - Dark gray tom.

Rowanclaw - Ginger tom.

**Queens:**

Tawnypelt - Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes.

Tallpoppy - Long-legged light brown tabby she-cat.

Mosspelt - Tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes.

Dawnflower - Pale gray she-cat.

Russetfur - Dark ginger she-cat.

**Elders:**

Boulder - Skinny gray tom.

Heavystep - Thickset tabby tom.

**RushClan**

**Leader:** Bramblestar - Dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

**Deputy:** Brackenfur - Golden brown tabby tom.

**Apprentice,** Whitepaw

**Medicine Cat:** Barkface - Shot-tailed brown tom.

**Warriors:**

Dustpelt - Dark brown tabby tom.

Sandstorm - Pale ginger she-cat.

Cloudtail - Long-haired white tom.

Thornclaw - Golden brown tabby tom.

Brightheart - White she-cat with ginger patches.

Ashfur - Pale gray (with darker flecks) tom, dark blue eyes.

**Apprentice,** Birchpaw

Rainwhisker - Dark gray tom with blue eyes.

Squirrelflight - Dark ginger she-cat with green eyes.

Spiderleg - Long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes.

Ashfoot - Gray she-cat.

Tornear - Tabby tom.

Webfoot - Dark gray tabby tom.

Crowfeather - Dark gray tom.

Owlwhisker - Light brown tabby tom.

Nightcloud - Black she-cat.

Weaselfur - Ginger tom with white paws.

**Queens:**

Ferncloud - Pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat, green eyes.

Sorreltail - Tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes.

Whitetail - Small white she-cat.

Leafpool - Light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes.

**Elders:**

Goldenflower - Pale ginger coat, the oldest nursery queen.

Longtail - Pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight.

Mousefur - Small dusky brown she-cat.

Morningflower - Tortoiseshell queen.

Rushtail - Light brown tom.


	2. Summary

**Summary for What If?**

Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost have decided to listen to their father, Tigerstar, and take over the Clans. The leader of each Clan has been killed, and now four have become two. The new Clans have risen: LakeClan and RushClan. In LakeClan, trouble is aroused when ShadowClan and RiverClan are slammed into one, and a war rages inside the Clan. In RushClan, Leafpool finally released from her duties as a medicine cat, decides to settle down and raise a family. What happens when the two Clans go to war against each other, and the life of every cat in the forest is threatened? Takes place after Sunset, which means there is no PO3.


	3. Movie Trailer

Movie Trailer

I decided to make a movie trailer, just for fun. _Italics_ is to be seen. **Bold** is to be heard.

_A ginger tom, large white tom, brown tabby tom, and spotted golden tabby she-cat are lying on the ground in scarlet pools of dried blood._

**The era of freedom comes to a halt...**

_A pair of amber eyes and a pair of ice-blue eyes glint in the darkness._

**Four will become two...**

_Light brown tabby she-cat and dark gray tom are nuzzling each other._

**Love will find its way...**

_Dark tabby she-cat and pale gray she-cat are seen staring at each other with wide eyes._

**A secret will be revealed...**

_A battle rages._

**And all will come to an end...**

Hope you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas! Chapter one is coming soon, I promise!


	4. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Beechpaw

It just didn't seem right, being cooped forced to live with ShadowClan cats. I mean, they didn't even know how to swim! How would they survive by the lake if they couldn't swim? And besides, they're far too vicious for my liking. But then, who would listen to an apprentice? My opinion didn't matter. If I told anyone about what _I_ thought, Hawkstar would kill me before I could blink. And I really, _really_ wanted to live to be a warrior. I really truly did...

"Beechpaw, you useless lump of fur!" Hawkstar snarled. "Get your tail over here!"

I looked up. Hawkstar, with his deputy, Rowanclaw, stood by the Jutting Ledge, a rock that jutted out over the surface of the lake, from which the leader made announcements. The leader's eyes were narrowed, and I could almost hear the growl forming deep in his chest, even from where I stood, halfway across the camp. It was only then That I realized that he had probably called me several times before. Hurriedly, I rose to my paws and dashed over to the leader, who stood waiting expectantly by the edge of the lake.

"Y...Yes, Hawkstar?" I asked warily.

"Blackclaw came to talk to me today," Hawkstar snarled. "He says that he doesn't want you to be a warrior for another five to seven moons."

"Why not?" I cried, an edge in my voice. "I'm just as ready to become a warrior as any cat in RiverClan!"

"Excuse me?" Hawkstar growled, his ice-blue eyes narrowing in disgust. "We are no longer RiverClan. RiverClan was incompetent. We are now LakeClan. LakeClan is stronger, faster, and smarter than measly RiverClan ever was."

"But I'm _not_..." I started, only to be cut off my a warning glance from the medicine cat, Mothwing, who stood a few foxlengths away, obviously listening to the conversation.

"You're not what?" Hawkstar asked, a malicious glint in his eyes. He leaned in closer and closer until I could feel his hot breath on my face.

I could almost hear Mothwing screaming in her head, _Don't do it, Beechpaw! Don't do it! He'll kill you for sure!_

"I'm not incompetent," I replied in as calm a voice as I could manage. "I'm not a RiverClan cat. I'm a LakeClan cat."

"That's what I thought," Hawkstar meowed, whipping around to pad away. Over his shoulder, he called, "Now, Rowanclaw has assigned you to a hunting patrol with Mistyfoot, Stonestream, and Smokepaw. Go, now, before I claw your ears off."

I nodded and bounded off to join the patrol that was gathering near the camp's entrance.

"Well, at last!" Stonestream hissed as I arrived. "I thought you'd never show up!"  
"If you must know," I replied in as arrogant a tone as I could manage. "_I_ had an important meeting with _Hawkstar_ to attend, and that is why I am late."

"Oh, whatever," Stonestream meowed, rolling his eyes.

"You two, please do stop bickering!" Mistyfoot hissed. "Now, let's go, before someone loses a whisker." With a flick of her tail, the lovely gray she-cat was gone. I wriggled through the camp entrance after her, the rest of the patrol right behind me. I followed the gray blur of Mistyfoot's form as she darted around, narrowly missing contact with trees and bushes. I hopped over a small stream and darted over an unused Twoleg bridge. Finally, she began to slow down. I could actaully see her now. Only a heartbeat ago she had been a nearly invisible shape darting through the forest.

"Where are we?" Smokepaw asked, looking around warily. It was then that I realized that we were in an unfamiliar part of the territory.

"Hawkstar asked me to expand the borders," Mistyfoot replied, licking a paw casually.

"But this is _WindClan_ territory!" I cried. "You can't do that!"

"You mean _Rush_Clan, right?" Mistyfoot meowed. "And besides. We need more territory. We have to expand somewhere."

"But Bramblestar might send a party to our camp and destory us!" I argued. "We're much smaller than they! We don't stand a chance!"

"If they do, then we'll be ready," Mistyfoot replied cooly. "We have the water to hide us, so we have the element of surprise. _And_ we have the shadows to hide us. We have two advantages which RushClan don't. We'll be ready."

"Did you hunt?" Ripplepaw asked as the hunting patrol returned to camp.

"What does it look like?" I growled through a rabbit and two mice.

Ripplepaw gasped.

"What?" Beechpaw asked, dropping my catch on the fresh-kill pile beside the Jutting Ledge.

"You have a rabbit!" Ripplemoon hissed, flattening her ears. "Did you trespass on Wi...RushClan territory?"

"Of course not!" I snarled defensively. "Hawkstar gave Mistyfoot orders to expand the territory, and now we have to prepare for a battle, since we're sure there's going to be one."

Not two heartbeats after I had finished my sentence, Blackclaw trotted up to me.

"Battle training." He growled, flicking his tail at me and Ripplepaw. "You two. Now." then he turned and left.

"I wonder who we're going to be training with?" Ripplepaw murmured as we padded out of camp.

"We'll find out soon enough," I replied.

We wove our way through the marshy land of ShadowClan territory, heading toward the training hollow. Once Ripplepaw tripped over a rock, taking her with me. My paw was bruised, but I carried on as quickly as possible.

"Well, finally you're here!" Hawkstar snarled as we appeared through the trees. "I was beginning to think I'd have to go back to camp and fetch you two myself." Next to Hawkstar stood Mistyfoot, Smokepaw, Rowanclaw, Cedarheart, and Oakfur.

"Do we have to fight all of them?" I asked, my eyes widening as I examined the thick, bulging muscles under each cats' slick fur.

"Of course not," Hawkstar replied. "Ripplepaw will be fighting Smokepaw, and you will be battling the rest of us." The leader's eyes glinted viciously.

"_All_ of you?" I gasped. "At the same time?"

"Yes!" Hawkstar growled impatiently. Then, he flicked his tail. Smokepaw went to fight Ripplepaw, while the rest of the warriors charged at me. I unsheated my claws and glared at them, though my pelt shook with fright. Hawkstar was the first to strike me, swiping at my muzzle with an unsheathed paw. I cringed in pain as his claws sliced through my skin. Blood poured out of the wound. I shook it off and leapt at him, aiming for his flank. The tabby tom dodged my easily, and I tumbled to the ground. I leapt up as quickly as I could, but it still wasn't quick enough. Rowanclaw and Cedarheart were on top of me in an instant, crushing me to the ground once more. I lashed out at them with my free paw. I felt my claws snag something, and was relieved when I heard a snarl of pain and felt Rowanclaw stagger off of me. I rolled out from underneath Cedarheart while he was still standing and jumped onto his back. Mistyfoot barreled into me, knocking me off, though I managed to keep my claws in Cedarheart's back. He screeched in pain as my claws dragged along his spine. He shook himself furiously, trying to dislodge my claws. When he finally did, blood was pouring from his back, staning his flanks and underbelly with blood. I had left a long wound that went all the way down his spine. I allowed myself a brief moment of triumph before I went back to fighting. Rowanclaw jumped back on me, while Hawkstar scratched at my flanks and Oakfur bit my tail. I yowled and squirmed on the ground. I could feel myself slowly losing blood. Slowly, slowly, my world went dark...


	5. Chapter 2

**I'm back with the second chapter of ****What If?****! These next two chapters will probably be a bit softer, since my thoughts are now influenced by chamomile tea with honey. :) Yummy!**

**Note: In some Clans, they don't list the appearances of their apprentices, so I'm making them up for now, unless I can find their appearances in the PO3 books.**

**spottednose24: Thanks! I know, but Hawkstar's all like, 'You have to be ready for battle!' The last part of that chapter was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing.**

**Stonetail's Loyalty: Fear not, Beechpaw is not going to die! Well, not this early in the story anyway. evilgrin shiftyeyes**

Chapter 2: Whitepaw

I gazed up at Bramblestar as he made his way up to the Highledge, his amber eyes glinting in the sunset.

"Cats of RushClan!" Bramblestar yowled. "Join under the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The whole Clan was already gathered, so I saw no reason to call out, but I supposed it made Bramblestar feel powerful and in charge.

"Tonight is the Gathering!" Bramblestar meowed. "I would like to bring with me Brackenfur, Whitepaw, Dustpelt, Sandstorm, Crowfeather, Rainwhisker, Ashfur, and Cloudtail. We leave immediately." With that, he leapt down from the Highledge. With a sweep of his tail, he gathered the patrol in front of him. I trotted up to join them. I felt rather important, being the only apprentice that was going to the Gathering. Bramblestar headed toward the camp entrance, and I darted after him eagerly. The brambles that surrounded the entrance scraped my muzzle as I pushed through them, but I ignored the pain, eager to be on the island. The rest of the patrol followed me more slowly. Bramblestar quickened his pace every few moments, and soon I was sprinting to keep up with him. Soon we were at the island, much sooner than I had thought. Without hesitation, Bramblestar leapt up onto the tree-bridge and bounded across it.

"Hurry up!" the tom called to me as he landed on the other side.

I nodded and scrabmled onto the nearest root. I placed my front paws on the trunk of the tree and, using all of my strength, pushed myself up onto it with my hindlegs. I slipped on the trunk, slick with melted snow, but quickly regained balance using my tail. Digging my claws into the tree, I darted across the tree as quickly as possible, tumbling onto the island in a heap of white fur as I reached the other side.

"Get up," Bramblestar hissed, flicking his tail in disgust. I hauled myself to my paws and shook myself to dislodge the dirt and pine needles that had stuck to my pelt. Dustpelt landed beside me a heartbeat later. Then came Brackenfur, Crowfeather, Rainwhisker, Ashfur, Sandstorm, and finally Cloudtail. I grimaced, biting back a yowl of pain as Cloudtail landed on my hindpaw.

"Oops," he murmured when he realized I was in pain. "Sorry. Let me help you up."

I gladly accepted help from my father. Grabbing me by my scruff, he lifted me to my paws easily and allowed me to lean on him as I half-limped to the clearing. It felt rather ridiculous, having my father help me when my paw wasn't that badly injured, but I refused to voice my thoughts, as it might hurt Cloudtail's feelings, so I limped on silently. Bramblestar swept his tail, and the patrol pounded down into the clearing. It was empty. I assumed LakeClan would arrive soon. I hoped with all my heart that _he_ would be there. The light brown tom with the sparkling green eyes. I had never met him personally, I had only seen him from a distance, but he was handsome. _Very_ handsome. My stomach twisted as a thought popped into my head. _There are plenty of she-cats in LakeClan. Why should he pay attention to me when he could have one of them?_

"No!" I cried.

"What?" Cloudtail asked, staring at me with worry-filled eyes.

"Oh," I mewed. "It's...It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Okay..." Cloudtail left me to go converse with some of the other RushClan warriors. Then, a familiar tang hit my scent glands. _LakeClan!_ I bounded up the slope, suddenly forgetting the pain in my hindpaw, desperate to see the brown tom. He wasn't in the group of warriors and apprentices that poured into the clearing. I sat with a heavy heart, keeping my eyes on the ground. He wasn't coming.


	6. Chapter 3

**Sorry that last chapter was so short, but I wanted this chapter to mesh with that one. So, here goes!**

**Note: All my other stories are on a temporary hiatus while I work on this story.**

Chapter 3: Beechpaw

I opened my eyes slowly. Darkness still enveloped me.

"W...Where am I?" I murmured weakly.

"You're in the training hollow," A voice mewed, startling me. I jumped, only to yowl in pain as I strained my paw, which was obviously badly injured. The only faint light came from the full moon that floated high above my head.

"Who are you?" I asked. "Show yourself!" My commanding mew was weak, and my voice broke mid-sentence.

A wry laugh sounded from beside me. "If that is what you wish." A familiar dappled she-cat stepped in front of me.

"Mothwing!" I cried, overjoyed. "But, why are you here?"  
"I became worried when you didn't return to camp with the rest of them, so I came out to look for you."

"How long do I have?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" Mothwing mewed.

"When am I going to die?"

"You're _not_ going to bie, Beechpaw! You're pretty beat up, that part is true, but your injuries are not bad enough to kill you. Now hold still."

My flank stung suddenly. "Ouch!" I cried, drawing away from the medicine cat as she rubbed a smelly poultice into my side.

"Hold _still_!" Mothwing hissed. "Do you _want_ to die?"

"It'd be nice," I admitted.

"Well, that's just too bad," Mothwing growled. "Because I'm not going to let that happen." She rubbed some more of the poultice into my flank, and I tried to hold still, but I couldn't help letting out a whimper of agony.

"That's the last of it." Mothwing mewed triumphantly. "You're free to go."

I struggled to my paws and staggered in the direction of the island. I had only one goal: To get to the Gathering. I had seen a pretty white she-cat the last time I was there, and I wanted to see her again and learn her name. Maybe they could be freinds.

"Hey, Mothwing?" I called over my shoulder, stopping for a moment.

"Yes, Beechpaw?" Mothwing called back in a gentle voice.

"Thanks."

"Look who's here!" Hawkstar yowled as I stomped into the clearing. Every cat stopped what they were doing and looked up at me. I felt my pelt grow hot with embarrasment, suddenly growing self-concious of my wounds. I ignored the gazes and searched the clearing, stopping when I saw a familiar white pelt. _It's her! She's here!_

Filled to the brim with excitement, I bounded toward her, my wounded tail held high with joy. The she-cat turned when she heard me approaching, and her eyes lit with pleasure.

"Well, let's continue the meeting!" Bramblestar yowled. "I'm not going to sit here all night!"

"Hi," I whispered to the white she-cat as the two leaders continued the Gathering.

"Hi there," the white apprentice whispered back, keeping her eyes on her paws.

"I'm Beechpaw," I mewed. "What's your name?"

"Wh...Wh...White...paw," the she-cat replied. "N...Nice to meet you."

"Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're stuttering."

"Oh, that happens sometimes."

"Okay then."

We continued to converse, talking about ourselves and our Clan and how the prey was running, pretty much having our own personal Gathering within the Gathering. We talked about our kithood, our mentors, and our parents. Well, Whitepaw talked about _her_ parents. I didn't know who my parents were. Before Hawkstar took over, Leopardstar had told me that both of my parents died before I turned three moons old, so I was nursed by Dawnflower. Of course, I didn't tell Whitepaw this. I let her chatter on and on about how she was related to Firestar, and how her mother lost an eye, and about the badger fight that had happened not too long ago in ThunderClan. Every now and then, I would ask her questions, to keep her from asking me about my parents, and so that I could know more about her. I really wanted to know everything about her, but I knew there would not be enough time for her to tell me about everything.

The Gathering was over far too soon. Bramblestar gathered his Clan with a sweep of his tail. I watched as Whitepaw padded off, missing her already.

"Wait, Whitepaw!" I called, bounding over to her. "Whitepaw, I want to see you again!"

"And you will," Whitepaw mewed. "I'll be on my best behaviour so that Brackenfur will have to take me to the next Gathering.You could do that, too, so then we could talk again.

"I can't wait that long," I replied. "How about we meet at the half-moon by the ShadowClan border?"

"Got it," Whitepaw nodded. "I'll see you there."

Overjoyed, I bounded off to join my Clan as they clambered toward the tree-bridge. Things were finally starting to look up.


	7. Chapter 4

**Another note: Since Bramblestar killed Firestar, and nothing's the same, the names of some kits will be different in this story.**

Chapter 4: Whitepaw

"Whitepaw, watch out!" Brackenfur called.

I raised my head to see Birchpaw hurtling toward me, his forepaws outstretched, claws sheathed. Without thinking, I reared up onto my hindpaws and leapt over him.

"Good job!" Brackenfur congratulated me. "Now, attack him!"

I nodded and lashed out with a sheathed paw at Birchpaw's head when he turned to face me. He yelped in fake pain and staggered backwards. I leapt square onto his back and held his scruff gently in my teeth, not wanting to actually hurt him. Birchpaw flipped himself over, taking me with him, and crushed me beneath his weight. I squirmed beneath him, kicking with my hindpaws until he finally rolled off of me. I jumped right back into the battle, rearing up on my hindlegs once more and pushing him with my free paws, knocking him onto his side. Then I jumped onto him, pinning him to the ground.

"I win!" I mewed triumphantly, stepping off of him so he could get up.

"Yeah, yeah," Birchpaw grumbled, flattening his ears. "If you hadn't jumped over me, I would've won.

"Even if I hadn't jumped," I teased. "You still would have missed me completely. You're as slow and nearsighted as a badger!"

Birchpaw rammed into me head on, knocking me on my side and pinning me down, just the way I had done to him moments ago.

"How's that for nearsighted?" Birchpaw meowed, flicking his tail.

"All right, you two," Brackenfur meowed gently, but with a strict edge to his voice. "Get off of each other before I have to pull you off."

As Birchpaw released me, I thought I heard him grumble, "I'd like to see him try."

"That's enough training for today," Brackenfur told us as he turned toward camp. "Let's get you two back to camp so you can rest."

As we made our way back to camp, I thought about the promise I had made to Beechpaw a quarter moon ago. His overjoyed face filled my mind, and it was all I could see, as if he were standing a whiskerlength away from me. I could almost smell his sweet scent. He smelled of cloves and oranges and cinnamon and fresh, clear water. I was so caught up in his face that I didn't see the bramble bush that stood in my path. I crashed right through it. Next thing I knew, I was falling. Just falling through the sky, then I realized that I had fallen over the ledge of the camp. Suddenly, I felt pressure in my neck, and the falling ceased. The sudden jolt made the image of Beechpaw vanish, and I was suddenly filled with real, true fear as I dangled just foxlengths above the camp.

"Whitepaw!" I craned my nexk to look down and saw my mother, Brightheart, standing int eh center of camp, her eye wide with shock, undisguised fear masking her face. "Oh, Whitepaw!"

"I...I'm fine, mom!" I called down to her as Brackenfur hoisted me back up onto the ledge. "Don't worry about it!"

"Be more careful next time!" Brackenfur scolded me. "You could have died!"

"I know," I murmured, lowering my eyes to the ground.

"Now let's get back to camp." With a flick of his tail, the bracken colored tom turned and stalked off, Birchpaw right at his heels.

"Stop making a fuss!" I cried, yanking my paw away from my mother. "I'm fine! Brackenfur rescued me! I'm not hurt. You don't have to worry about it!"

"You don't know that," Brightheart replied, continuing to examine me all over. "You could have scratched yourself."

"I'm sure that if I scratched myself, I would have felt it," I meowed, flattening my ears crossly.

Brightheart sighed. "I suppose you're right. You're free to go." Her whiskers twitched.

I trotted away happily, heading for the nursery. Sorreltail was the only queen who had kits, and I was always happy to watch them while she went to talk to her mate, Brackenfur, or get something to eat from the fresh-kill pile. I was sure she would want a break from her three kits. Willowkit, the oldest of the three, was by far my favorite. She was spunky and carefree, and a joy to be around. Her brother, the second oldest, a golden brown tom named Cedarkit, was loud and fast. He constantly tormented the youngest kit, Heatherkit, a young tortoiseshel-and-white she-cat.

"Whitepaw!" Sorreltail called from the entrance to the nursery. I quickened my pace, now sprinting toward her.

"Hi, Sorreltail," I mewed. "Do you need me to watch the kits?"

"Yes," Sorreltail replied, purring. "I would be happy if you could watch the kits while I get some juniper berries for Ferncloud. Her kits are coming soon, and she needs to be healthy."

"I'll get right to it, then," I meowed, dipping my head. Sorreltail licked my ear gratefully then turned and trotted off. I darted into the nursery and settled myself into her nest, where Willowkit, Cedarkit, and Heatherkit lay fast asleep. I gazed around the den wearily, my energy drained by the battle training. I saw Ferncloud and Whitetail, two very familiar faces, and one not so familiar. It was a light brown tabby she-cat that I knew fairly well, though I had never expected her face would end up in this den, unless it were an emergency. But by the look of her face, this was no emergency. Her eyes were closed, her ears pricked, and her whiskers drooping with pleasure. She snored lightly, obviously asleep. It was then that I noticed that she was curled up in one of the nests. She shouldn't be sleeping on the job!

"Leafpool?" I whispered.

"Who? What? Where? Crowfeather, where's the fire?" Leafpool mewed, jolting awake.

"Oh, sorry," I murmured.

"It's quite alright," Leafpool replied. "Did you want to ask me something?"

"Ummm..." I mewed. "I don't know if it's such a good idea to..."

"It's fine," Leafpool meowed. "You can ask me anything."

"Okay then," I murmured. "Why...why are you in the nursery? I thought you were a medicine cat."

"I _was_," Leafpool replied. "But when Bramblestar took over, he made Barkface the medicine cat, so now I can have kits."

"Have you had any yet?" I asked.

"No," Leafpool replied, a hint of gloom in her voice. "But I should be having a few soon. Barkface says within the next three moons."

"Oh," I mewed. "Well, I probably shouldn't disturb you then. you can go back to sleep."

"Thanks," Leafpool mewed, closing her eyes. Within moments she was fast asleep.


	8. Chapter 5

**WARNING!!!: IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS FOR DARK RIVER, PLEASE DO NOT READ THE EIGTH SENTENCE OF MY RESPONSE TO STONETAIL'S LOYALTY! If you **_**do**_** want a spoiler, then go ahead and read. :)**

**Stonetail's Loyalty: It's her first. Also, Daisy was killed, and her kits managed to escape before Bramblestar killed them too, which means we may get to see one of them later the the story. Maybe not. It depends. I know! It's my fav! Yuck. I hate the ThornxWhite pairing in Dark River. I hope nobody catches them either!! But you know, my fingers kind of have minds of their own. Once they get started, it's not as easy to stop them.**

**Stardawn: Thanks! yes, I am defnintely going to change Whitepaw's warrior name, since Bramblestar's not a MarySue.**

Chapter 5: Beechpaw

"Beechpaw, are you going to wake up, or do we have to start battle training without you?" A paw nudged my side. I opened my eyes wearily, drowsiness surrounding me like a thick fog.

"Leave him alone!" Another cat, who was easily recognized as Mothwing, meowed. "He needs to stay in the medicine den until his wounds heal!"  
"Well Hawkstar says all cats in the Clan must be ready for battle. How much longer should it take for him to heal?"

"By the looks of his scratches, I'd say about another two moons."

_Two moons?!_ I couldn't stay in the medicine den for two whole moons! I was supposed to see Whitepaw _tonight_! It was the half-moon, and I had promised ot meet her at the ShadowClan border. I couldn't let her down!

"I...I'm okay," I murmured, staggering to my paws. "Really. I...It's nothing. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Mothwing argued. "Your wounds are very serious. If you move too much you could break your hind paw. It's already fractured."

I turned my head to examine my back leg. She was right. My whole hindpaw was wrapped in rushes and globs of cobwebs.

"How long did you say it'd take to heal?" I asked, just in case I had misheard.

"Two moons," Mothwing replied.

"But I _can't_ stay in here for two moons!" I wailed. "I have to do something tonight!"

"What?" Mothwing asked.

"I..." I stalled, my eyes darting frantically around the room. I had to come up with a lie, and quick, or else my secret would be revealed, and I would let Whitepaw down.

"I'm going to do some night hunting," I lied quickly. "I...wanted to help supply the Clan with backup food in case RushClan ruins our prey during the battle."

"How sweet!" Mothwing purred. "But you need to rest. I'll have Ripplepaw and Reedwhisker hunt instead."

"Aren't you going to the Moonpool tonight?" I asked.

"Why, yes, I almost forgot," Mothwing replied. "Can I trust you not to leave while I'm gone?"

"Certainly," I lied.

"Good," Mothwing mewed after a moment of silence. Then, turning to Blackclaw, she meowed, "You may go now. I have to tend to Beechpaw's wounds."

With a growl, Blackclaw turned and stalked out of the den.

"I don't trust that Blackclaw character," Mothwing told me once we were alone. "I'm sure he's bound to do something to betray the Clan sooner or later."

"Why do you think that?" I asked.

"Because his parents were the two strongest and most ambitious rogues in the forest, or so I hear." Mothwing replied.

"Just because his parents were like that doesn't mean he has to be that way, too." I pointed out. "You're the daughter of Tigerstar, and you're not evil."

"That's true," Mothwing sighed, turning away in shame.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I mewed. I hadn't known that I was opening old wounds. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's not your fault," Mothwing meowed, brushing the tip of her tail over my lips to cut me off. "I just don't like remembering how treacherous my father was. It reminds me that I'm not fully good. I always have to try to live up to everyone's expectations, and it hurts me to see them glaring at me, as though they see Tigerstar in my eyes."

"I'm sorry," I repeaed sincerely. I did not know what it was like, so I could not feel her raw pain, but I had a pretty good idea of what it felt like.

"It's quite alright. Now, get some rest. You need to heal those wounds."

The night was dark. The half moon floated high in the skiy, indicating that it was at least midnight. I stalked through the bushes, limping heavily, trying to keep my hindpaw off of the ground. The ShadowClan border was close. So close I could almost taste it. I quickened my pace, almost sprinting on three legs, though it was rather hard to sprint when you didn't have a useable fourth leg.

"Beechpaw!" The sudden, joyful yowl shocked me. I jumped, tripping on a rock and tumbling over right to the edge of the border.

"Whitepaw?" I whispered.

"Right in front of you!" Whitepaw mewed.

"Don't be so loud," I hissed. "Someone'll hear you!"

"Oh, Beechpaw, you look horrible!" Whitepaw cried. "Here, let me help you."

I allowed the tiny white she-cat to press her flank against mine so I could balance as I rose stiffly to my paws. When she got me close to a tree that I could lean on, she removed herself from my side and shuffled bashfully back over the border.

"Thanks," I murmured, licking my ruffled chest fur.

"Oh, any time," Whitepaw replied, flicking her ear joyfully. "What should we do now?"

I yawned.

"You're right," Whitepaw replied. "I'm exhausted." She yawned too, settling down onto the ground. I lowered myself gently to the dirt ground and scooted over to her side. Whitepaw licked my ear gently, and I licked hers back. I wasn't trying to impose, I just wanted to be friendly, and I hoped she felt the same way. Before too long, she was asleep. Her gentle, deep breathing eventually lulled me to sleep as well.


	9. Chapter 6

**Happy 2008, my fans! I slept through it, so I can't actaully be sure if it really happened. -insert my laughter here-**

**Spottednose24: Why, thank you! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, too.**

**Stonetail's Loyalty: -gasp!- Totally! I hope nothing bad happens to Whitepaw!**

**From now on, every chapter I write will be dedicated to the first person to review it.**

Chapter 6: Whitepaw

Dedicated to Stonetail's Loyalty

Light filtered down through the trees onto my white pelt, turning it whiter than the snow that had fallen overnight. I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by it, and was grateful that Beechpaw had been by my side all night, to keep me from the cold.

_All night?_ I had to get back to camp before I was discovered missing. I had been gone since just before moonhigh, and I hadn't the slightest idea how late it was now, for clouds blocked out the sky. I hauled myself to my paws and nudged Beechpaw eagerly. He didn't stir. I nudged him again. He remained immobile.

"Come on, Beechpaw!" I whispered. "Beechpaw, come on! Wake up! Please! You have to get back to camp!"

He didn't move.

I became frantic. What if Beechpaw was...No. I didn't let myself get that far. He was _not_ dead. I had to get him to wake up, but how? The tom's brown flank was covered in powdery white. I brushed it off and licked his fur the wrong way to warm him. Beneath my tongue, his heartbeat was quick and unsteady, and his breathing was shallow. Was he sick? I had to get him to Barkface, but how could I do that without revealing that he had slept with me on the border?

"What are you doing?" A low growl made me jump. I looked up to see a ginger tom and a dark tabby she-cat standing no more than a rabbit length away from me and Beechpaw.

"I...I think he's sick, and I wanted to help..." I started, only to be cut off by a loud yowl from the ginger tom.

"You were trying to kill him!" he accused.

"No, I wasn't!" I cried. "Honest! I would _never_ hurt Beechpaw!"

"How do you know his name?" the she-cat snarled.

"I met him at the Gathering," I replied truthfully. "We have to help him before he dies!"  
"What do you mean 'we'?" the ginger tom hissed. "You won't be helping."

"But I want to!" I cried. "Please, please let me!"  
The tom exchanged a glance with the she-cat, then turned back to face me. "Alright," he agreed. "You can come." He turned to the she-cat. "Swallowtail, take the apprentice. I'll get Beechpaw."

Swallowtail was beside me in a heartbeat. She eyed me suspiciously, and when I turned my head to look at her, she growled and turned away in disgust. The ginger tom grabbed Beechpaw rather roughly by the scruff and dragged him over the snowy, rock-covered ground.

"Be careful!" I wailed. Swallowtail shot a glare at me, and I flinched.

I remained silent the rest of the way back to LakeClan's camp. Though I was pretty sure I was being held prisoner, I was excited. I had never been to LakeClan's camp before, and now I was getting to go. To make it even better, Beechpaw was with me. Even though he wasn't awake, I was sure he could feel my presence, and that bit of knowledge comforted me.

"We're here," Swallowtail growled after a little while. She padded through the tunnel of gorse first, then gestured with her tail for me to follow her. The ginger tom took up the rear, dragging Beechpaw in just behind him, so technically, Beechpaw took up the rear.

"Swallowtail!" A joyful yowl greeted the young she-cat as she entered the camp. I hung back for a moment, allowing Beechpaw and the ginger tom to pass me. "Rowanclaw!"

"You brought Beechpaw back!"  
"What happened to him?"

"Is he dead?"

"He looks like he is!"  
"No, he's not! See? Look! He's still breathing!"

Swallowtail turned to me, flicking her ear impatiently. Timidly, I crept out of the gorse tunnel and into the clearing.

"Who is _that_?"  
"She smells like a RushClan cat!"

"Why'd you bring her?"

"Cats of LakeClan!" A loud yowl sounded above all the rest, causing every cat to stop dead in their tracks. They turned their heads in the direction of the lake. My gaze followed theirs to a long, flat rock with a pointed edge that jutted out over the surface of the lake. A dark brown tom with ice-blue eyes stood on the tip of the ledge, which was just a bit higher off the lake than the rest of the rock.

_That must be Hawkstar, _I thought.

"Cats of LakeClan," Hawkstar repeated. "Rowanclaw and Swallowtail have returned with Beechpaw, and they have brought with them a cat from RushClan." The tom turned to Swallowtail. "Swallowtail," he meowed. "Care to explain this sorry excuse for a cat?"

I hissed under my breath.

"Of course, Hawkstar," Swallowtail replied, bowing her head respectfully. "This cat was found on our side of the border, bent over Beechpaw. She claims to have been there when Beechpaw fell 'ill'. She also claims that she was trying to 'help' him."

Snarls rose from the crowd of cats gathered below the pointed rock.

"Well," Hawkstar growled, turning to face me. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

I gulped, frozen under the leader's icy stare.

"Well?" he prompted. "Are you going to tell us, or am I going to have to kill you for attempting murder in cold blood?"

"I would never hurt Beechpaw!" I snarled, suddenly feeling extremely piqued. "I swear, he was sleeping on the border! I tried to wake him up and tell him to get back to camp, but he wouldn't wake up! And then, Rowanclaw and Swallowtail showed up and brought us back to camp!"

"You know I can't just let you go, right?" Hawkstar meowed, his tone softening slightly. He turned to a smoky black tom and a dappled golden she-cat who sat side-by-side. "Mothwing, Blackclaw, take our prisoner to the fox burrow."

"As you wish, Hawkstar," Mothwing mewed, dipping her head politely. She and Blackclaw rose and padded over to me. I waited patiently as each of them took one side of me to guard. Together, they padded across the clearing to a hole in a large boulder that sat near the lake. It was obvious that the hole had been eroded by moons of wind and rain, and there was no way a fox would be able to fit in there, much less live in it.

"In you go," Blackclaw growled as Hawkstar dismissed the meeting.

"Shouldn't we tell her how to go down?" Mothwing asked, a hint of worry in her tone. She leaned over and whispered in Blackclaw's ear, just loud enough for me to hear, "You know that none of the prisoners that have gone down there have ever come out, don't you?"

"Of course I know that!" Blackclaw hissed back. "But we can't help her find her way." The tom ned back to me and meowed in his regular tone of voice, "We cannot help you find where you must go. All we can tell you is that there is a series of tunnels that leads underground. Once you enter this hole, you must pick one tunnel to go down. Each tunnel leads to a cave, and each cave is a different size. If you pick the wong cave, you will never know if it ends.

"Your eyes will not adjust to the darkness. You must find your way down using your sense of touch and your sense of smell. If you smell wet moss, you know you're in the right tunnel. Now, go."

"Will I get to eat?" I asked, realizing that I was very hungry.

"If you're in the right cave, you'll be able to find your way back up easily, unless your senses are impaired," Blackclaw replied. "We will have a piece of fresh-kill waiting for you in front of this hole every morning."

"Can I have something to eat right now?" I asked. "I'm _starving_!"

"No," Mothwing replied firmly. "You must wait until tomorrow." With that, the dappled golden she-cat pushed me into the hole.

Once I was all the way inside, from what little light I had, I could easily see the five tunnels that stood directly in front of me. Each black,, gaping hole was a giant mouth, waiting to swallow me up and never spit me out. I tried to remember what wet moss smelled like, sniffing the air frantically. Two tunnels smelled like wet moss. I pick the third tunnel from the left and padded into it, praying that I was on the right track.

The tunnel got thinner and thinner with each pawstep, and I thought that soon I would not be able to move at all. I also knew that if I was in the wrong tunnel, I would be unable to turn around and get back to the surface. The tunnels were made of dirt, and were much colder than the snow outside, which I now thought would be warmer than anything in the forest compared to the chilly, stale air of the tunnel. Fear gripped me as I was suddenly unable to move. I parted my lips to scream, but nothing came out. I tried to wriggle backwards, but I was stuck to the ground. I wanted so badly to have Beechpaw by my side to comfort me, but I knew that nobody would be able to rescue me now. I was as good as dead. I was going to die...


	10. Chapter 7

**People! I have an important announcement! In between writing the last chapter and this chapter, I took a shower. (That's NOT the announcement.) I thought of something while I was showering, and I decided to make this story into a series. The ****Bloodstained Tears**** series. I want to finish this story soon, because I plan on releasing book two on March fifth, and because I want to update my other stories, as well. That is all.**

**Spottednose24: Thanks, I like the idea, too. I know it's not an original, but I still enjoy writing it.**

**Stonetail's Loyalty: It's not Blackclaw and Mothwing's faults. Actually, Blackclaw is willing to do just about anything for his leader, but Mothwing is too sweet and caring to be ambitious. She did not want to send Whitepaw down the hole, but she had to.**

**Raynefallen: Thanks! I hope FF lets you read the other chapters soon. I want to know what you think!**

**summerstream13: I highly doubt that I'd be able to let Whitepaw die, since this is going to be a series. But maybe she'll die later. -evilgrin-**

Chapter 7: Beechpaw

"Is he okay?"

"I'm not sure. It was pretty cold last night, and that she-cat who rescued him claimed that he had no nest to sleep in."

"She _rescued_ him? I find that very hard to believe. She's from a different Clan. She could have been trying to kill Beechpaw!"  
"Didn't you see the despair in her eyes when he was dragged into the den? It's obvious she has feelings for him."

"Oh, I'm sure it was all an act!"

I cracked my eyes open, careful not to move, for fear that if I made a sound, the conversing cats would be alerted and their attention would go to me. I didn't want them to know I was listening in on their conversation.

Mothwing stood about a mouse length away from me. Cedarheart sat in front of her, his ears flattened and his eyes narrowed. Mothwing's face showed no emotion.

"No cat would fake feelings for another," Mothwing replied. "I know that I wouldn't." She purred and rubbed her muzzle against Cedarheart's. It was all I could do to keep from gasping right then and there.

"I know you wouldn't," Cedarheart purred back. "But that cat was just an apprentice. She doesn't know what she really feels."

"I still don't think we should have sent her into the pit of death."

"Let's not argue anymore," Cedarheart suggested, licking Motwhing's ear. "It's just past moonhigh. You need to get some sleep."

Together, the two cats padded to the back of the medicine den.

_Pit of death?_ They had sent Whitepaw into the pit of death? I had to go get her! I rose stiffly to my paws and scrambled out of the medicine cat's den. Luckily, the clearing was silent and empty. I bounded over the the hole in the rock where I had been told prisoners were sent.

"Whitepaw?" I called softly into the hole. "Whitepaw, are you there?"

There was no answer. What if she had already...died? I had to find her quickly, before Mothwing realized I was gone. Flattening myself to the ground, I squirmed into the hole. Five dark tunnels awaited me. I sniffed the damp air, trying to pick up her sweet, soft scent. I eventually found it in the third tunnel from the left. It was slightly stale, so she musn't have been in there for too long.

"Whitepaw, I'm coming!" I called into the hole as I pushed my way into it.

"B...B...Beechpaw?" A weak mew sounded from far, far down the tunnel.

"Whitepaw, I'm here!" I called. "I've come to rescue you!"

"Please," Whitepaw begged. "Please, please don't! You'll get stuck too, and..."

"Beechpaw?" A familiar voice sounded from behind me.

"Willowpaw?" I guessed, unable to turn and see who it was.

"Beechpaw, why are you in there?" Willowpaw asked.

"I need to save Whitepaw!"

"Why in StarClan's name would you want to save the very cat who tried to kill you?"

"Kill me?" I snarled. "Whitepaw would _never_ do that to me! Please, Willowpaw, please help me out, just this once!"  
"Alright then," Willowpaw agreed after a brief moment of silence. "Can you wriggle backwars?"

I tried. It was much easier than I had thought it would have been, and in a moment, I was back in the frozen, snowy camp with Willowpaw by my side.

"Great," Willowpaw mewed. "Now, Mothwing told me a story that had been passed on to her by her mentor, and their mentor had it passed onto them by their mentor. You see, each tunnel leads into the cave, but each tunnel is a different length. The first two are very short, and the three after that take more than a moon to get through, if you're quick enough."

"How long is the shortest one?" I asked.

"One dawn, two dawns tops," Willowpaw replied. "I'm small enough to fit inside, so I'll go down. You'll just have to stall for me while I'm gone."

"That should be easy," I meowed. "Since you've been out collecting herbs for the past two days, I could just tell Mothwing that you extended your journey in case there were any good herbs left."

"You're an excellent liar," Willowpaw purred. "You know that?"

"Yep," I purred, flicking my ear. "Now, get in there. I'll try to convince Hawkstar to make me the one who brings prey to the hole every morning, and since I won't be able to train for a while, I'll just spend my free time near the hole."

"Good plan," Willowpaw agreed. In a flash, she was gone.

"Whitepaw," I called down the tunnel.

"Yeah?" Whitepaw called back.

"Willowpaw's going to come get you out of there. You should be out of there soon, I promise."

"Okay, Beechpaw. I trust you."

Sadly, I turned and padded back to the medicine den, trying not to glance over my shoulder as I left two of my friends, not sure if I'd ever see them again.


	11. Chapter 8

**Raynefallen: No, actually, I didn't know that. -laughs- But now I do. Thanks for letting me know! I'll fix that soon, I promise. Yessum. They are very sneaky, and evil, **_**and**_** awesome! Oh, for chapter two? The tom who tells Whitepaw to hurry up? That's Bramblestar. I probably should have made that more clear. Sorry! -sheepish grin-**

**spottednose24: Thanks! Yeah, I plan on getting back to Fallen Leaves soon, I promise.**

**Summerstream13: Thanks!**

**Stardawn: Yes, these are the same tunnels, but with different accsess points. Remember, nobody knows about it since PO3 doesn't exist.**

Chapter 8: Whitepaw

I had no idea how long it had been since Beechpaw had sent Willowpaw down the hole after me. I felt horrible that she had to enter the pit of death at my expense. I was worth nothing. If I were worth anything, LakeClan wouldn't have sent me to die, and Bramblestar would have sent a search party out to find me. I guessed that at least two days had passed already. I missed Beechpaw greatly, and I had no idea whether or not Willowpaw had even made it out of the first tunnel alive.

"Willowpaw?" I called. "Willowpaw, are you there?"  
"Whitepaw?" Willowpaw called back. "Yes, I'm here. It should take about another day for me to reach you. Can you hold on until then?"

"I...I think so," I mewed. "Oh, Willowpaw, I'm so, so hungry!"

"Don't worry!" Willowpaw meowed. "There's going to be a gigantic, extremely plump mouse waiting for you when we get out of here!"  
"But it's the middle of leafbare!" I cried.

"Well, Beechpaw is out in the forest hunting for the plumpest mouse in the forest right now!"  
"Oh, good."

"Now, get some rest, Whitepaw," Willowpaw instructed. "You're going to need all of your strength to get out of here!"

"Whitepaw, Whitepaw, wake up!" A paw nudged my side. I opened my eyes. I could see nothing but suffocating blackness, and a pair of gleaming amber eyes.

"Wi...Willowpaw?" I mewed weakly.

"No, you mousebrained kit!" a voice meowed. "I am Tigerstar, father of Bramblestar. You are the daughter of one of Firestar's closest relatives, are you not?"

"Y...Yes, Tigerstar," I stammered.

"Good," Tigerstar meowed. "Now, listen closely. Beechpaw is _not_ hunting for you. He does _not_ care about you. He _wants_ you to die in here."

"Then why did he send Willowpaw?" I asked.

"That was just a diversion," Tigerstar replied. "When she arrives, she is going to block your path with a rockfall and turn and run off like the dopey, cowardly little kit she is." Tigerstar narrowed his eyes. "Now, I am about to tell you something that could save your life, and the life of those closest to you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"I am about to bless you with a power no other cat has had before." Tigerstar replied. "I am going to give you the power to communicate with StarClan whenever you wish, and I will also grant you the power to see into the future. But first, I must give you instructions on how to use them."

I was mesmerized. I was going to get _powers_? I could hardly wait! My paws tingled with excitement. "What are they?" I asked.

"You musn't use your powers for good," Tigerstar replied. "Only for evil. You may not use your powers for the good of others, only for yourself. And, above all..."

"Yes?" I asked, my eyes glimmering with excitement.

"You must bring me back from the Place of No Stars."

"How am I to do that?" I asked.

"Your power to communicate with StarClan also contains another power," Tigerstar informed me.

_Another power?_ This was _great_! I could prove to all of RushClan that I was _not_ useless! "Tell me!" I demanded.

"You may bring any cat back from the dead." Tigerstar's eyes glimmered in the blackness. "But, if you disobey any of my rules, you will be slain by me, and your powers will be given to a more worthy being than yourself."

"I _am_ worthy!" I insisted.

"Then prove it," Tigerstar demanded. "Get yourself out of here, then run into the forest and bring me back to life."

"I will," I promised myself, then began to wriggle out of the tunnel and back into daylight.


	12. Chapter 9

**Raynefallen: Here's your right-away update!**

**Stonetail's Loyalty: Nope, it certainly won't!**

Chapter 9: Beechpaw

Dedicated to Raynefallen

I padded over to the pit of death, sniffing around the entrance anxiously for any signs of Willowpaw and Whitepaw. I picked up Whitepaw's scent, and it was very strong and fresh. My ears pricked up and my eyes widened with joy. I followed the trail of her scent as it wound through the darkened camp. She had stopped first at the fresh-kill pile, then gone to the medicine den, then the leader's den, and then the nursery, and then out of the camp. I stopped at the camp entrance, noticing something on her trail that I hadn't noticed before: Blood. Had she been hurt? I quickly retraced my pawsteps. There was no blood whatsoever until her scent trail left the...nursery.

I gasped and poked my head inside of the nursery. My jaw practically fell right off of my face. Strewn across the nursery lay the bodies of Tallpoppy and Dawnflower, and all of their kits. Tawnypelt was bent in a direction I thought no cat could go, and Russetfur's kits, Rustkit, Icekit, and Ravenkit, were sliced right through their stomachs, blood still pouring out of their wounds. Mosspelt's kits Shadekit, Lehuakit, Wolfkit, and Graykit were in the same condition as Tawnypelt. The mothers of the two litters of kits were bloody and broken and covered with dust.

"M...Mosspelt?" I mewed softly, nudging her with my nose. "Tallpoppy?" _They're all dead!_ I had to find Whitepaw and get the truth out of her, fast. But what if she really _was_ a cold-blooded murderer? What would I do then? Would I turn her in, drive her out, or would I have to...kill her myself? I bounded out of the nursery and into the forest as quickly as I could, following the scent trail that Whitepaw had left behind. But then, it stopped abruptly. It did not continue. Had she covered up her scent? I pricked my ears, listening for a sound that would signal that she was still nearby.

"...star...your bidding...back to life...now?" I managed to pick up a bit of a conversation that was going on not too far from where I stood.

"Do you smell...like...he's...Beechpaw?...him...instant!" a deep voice growled.

Suddenly, a great white shape burst out of the trees. Whitepaw was on top of me in an instant.

"Trespasser!" she snarled.

"W...what are you talking about?" I asked. "I was coming to make sure you were safe!"

"I'm fine!" Whitepaw growled. She turned her head toward the trees. "Tigerstar!"

A thickset tabby stepped out of the trees, his amber eyes glinting in the dawn light.

"So," he meowed. "You're the one Whitepaw loves? Oops, I mean, _used_ to love?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Whitepaw can have no friends when she's under my command," Tigerstar meowed. "You see, I hypnotized her into thinking that destroying LakeClan was the right thing to do, and now she's on her way to destroy RushClan. If I allowed her to have any friends, they might snap her out of her state of mind, and that wouldn't be a very good thing, now, would it?" Tigerstar unsheathed a large, glinting pair of claws.

"N...no, Tigerstar," I mewed weakly, my whole body shaking.

"Very good," Tigerstar meowed, his eyes glimmering with satisfaction. "Now, if you wish to live, you will go away right now, and never speak to Whitepaw again. And you will kill Willowpaw and Mothwing, and Hawkstar as well."

"I can't leave my best friend!" I meowed. "I'd rather die than let Whitepaw fall into the paws of you, you...mousebrained lump of foxdung!" Without thinking, I leapt at Tigerstar. He claws me all the way down my stomach, slicing it way open.

"You will die the same way I did," he purred triumphantly. "Come, Whitepaw," he flicked his tail. "Let's go."

_Oh, StarClan!_ I thought. _What have I done to deserve this?_


	13. Chapter 10

**Raynefallen: Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough!**

**Summerstream13: Yep! He most certainly is!**

Chapter 10: Whitepaw

Dedicated to Summerstream13

I didn't really hear much of what was going on around me. It was like I was in a...a trance. I mean, I could hear things, I just couldn't quite grasp them and understand them. The only part of the day that my memory held on to was when I met up with Beechpaw, the innocence in his eyes, the sharpness in my voice, and the caterwaul of pain that he released as I left him to bleed into the dust. I would take it all back if I could, but I was under Tigerstar's spell. I _had_ to do what he told me to, or I would die. I continually wondered if Tigerstar had really given me the powers he had promised, or if he was just using me to get to the real world. I was pretty sureit was the second one. We had been sneaking through the forest for a while now. It was almost sunhigh. I wondered vaguely if Beechpaw was still alive, and felt a stab of guilt so painful it made me recoil and drop to the forest floor.

"What are you doing?" Tigerstar snarled. "This is no time for resting. Get up!" He stared into my eyes, and I rose mechanically.I was actually rather glad. I didn't want to spend the whole day lying on the floor, picturing Beechpaw's dying, broken figure surrounded by a pool of drying scarlet blood. It was all my fault.

"We're here," Tigerstar informed me after a while. I stared down the side of the trench that surrounded RushClan's camp. I almost remembered falling into the camp, but my brain couldn't form the picture correctly.

"What do you want me to do, Tigerstar?" I asked in a voice that sounded strange, even to my own ears. It didn't sound like me. It sounded like someone else. Like... I couldn't quite guess the name, but I had a feeling I knew the owner of this voice.

"Go in there, raid the fresh-kill pile, kill the queens and their kits, and bring Bramblestar to me." Tigerstar instructed. I nodded and plunged into the thorn barrier of the camp.

"Whitepaw!" A joyous mew soudned from behind me. It was Birchpaw. He pounded up to me and rubbed his muzzle against mine. Suddenly, my brain sparked. I could remember things! I rememebered leaving Willowpaw behind to save myself, I remembered killing the queens and kits in the LakeClan nursery, I remembered severly injuring Cedarheart and Mothwing. I remembered all the bad things I had done. But the image that was etched the clearest into my mind was the picture of Beechpaw's hurt eyes as Tigerstar explained to him that I had become a ruthless killer. When he was told I didn't love him anymore, and when he was told that I didn't need friends. Well, Tigerstar was wrong.

"Thank you, Birchpaw!" I cried, licking his muzzle. "Thank you _so_ much!" I turned to glare at Tigerstar, then bounded up to the Highledge.

"Enter," Bramblestar's rough meow sounded from inside the crevice in which the leader slept.

I padded inside warily, and was slightly calmed when I saw Brackenfur beside Bramblestar.

"What is it you wish to speak to me for?" Bramblestar asked.

"Tigerstar's out there!" I cried, the words exploding out of my mouth before I even had time to think about it. "He rescued me from LakeClan and promised me that I'd get super awesome powers, but then he lied to me and made me kill all the queens and raid teh fresh-kill pile and kill my best friend Beechpaw and Tigerstar hypnotized me and now he wants me to do to RushClan the same thing I did to LakeClan and he wants to kill you, Bramblestar!" I finished my speech, panting heavily. "Please," I mewed. "You've _got_ to believe me! Tigerstar made me bring him back from the dead, and now he's here to start TigerClan, and to do it, he's going to kill you _and_ Hawkstar!"

"Are you sure you didn't just dream it?" Brackenfur asked slowly.

"Of course I didn't!" I cried. "Birchpaw just broke my trance and saved RushClan! We have to do something _now_!"

"Brackenfur," Bramblestar meowed, turning to face his deputy. "You heard her. Gather a patrol of our strongest warriors to go fight him. I'll go up there and stall him until you're ready, then, we'll attack."

"You believe me?" I asked, my eyes alight with joy.

"Of course we do!" Bramblestar cried. "I've always known my father would be ambitious enough to make my brother and I leaders and then bring us down. We have to stop him before he does. He'll never end my reign."


	14. Chapter 11

-1**Hey, people! I'm back! I just wanted to let you all know that tomorrow I'm going to the orthodontist, and then my friends are coming down for the weekend, so I might not update much then. Because of that, I'm going to try to write as many chapters as I possibly can today.**

Chapter 11: Beechpaw

Dedicated to RaynyCrowy

I opened my eyes to find myself surrounded by neck-high grass on a misty, open moor. The stars above my head shone clearly and brightly in the blackened night sky.

"Come, Beechpaw," A voice called to me, sweet and smooth as honey. I took a step forward, but the grass flung me back to where I had started. As I looked up at the sky, one of the stars began to pulse. I watched it as it soared out of the sky and landed right at my paws.

"Step on the star, Beechpaw," The voice instructed. Warily, I placed one paw on the surface of the star. The next thing I knew, I was being whisked through the air by the star, three of my paws dangling in mid-air. I opened my mouth to let out a wail of fear, but before I could make a sound, the star disappeared. I was expecting to fall, but instead, everything around me vanished, and I floated for a heartbeat before I was in a completely different environment. I stood on a trail that wound steadily downward toward a pool of glistening water. The path was trodden by many, many paw steps. I placed my paw into one of the paw prints implanted in the ground. It fit mine perfectly. I drew my paw back in shock, then crept downward toward the pool.

Upon reaching the edge of the pool, many, many cats appeared about me. More cats than I hade ever seen in my life. One of them, a spotted golden she-cat I knew very well from my kithood, stepped forward. Stars speckled her fur and fell to the ground when she moved, but she never seemed to run out of stars.

"Welcome, young Beechpaw," the she-cat meowed, bowing her head.

"Leopardstar!" I cried. "What is this place?"

"This," Leopardstar replied, sweeping her tail in the direction of the sparkling pool of water. "Is the Moonpool. This is where the medicine cats meet every half-moon to speak to us."

"To who?" I asked.

Leopardstar purred. "To speak to us, their warrior ancestors. And tonight, we have gathered here to welcome you to StarClan."

"What?" I yowled. "I'm…dead? I'm really truly dead?"

"Yes," Leopardstar meowed solemnly.

"Can't I at least say goodbye to Whitepaw?" I begged.

"No," Leopardstar replied firmly. "But you _may_ see her. Come, follow me." Leopardstar flicked her tail and guided me to the edge of the Moonpool. I gazed down at it in awe. I had only heard stories about this place. I had never imagined that I'd be able to see it for myself. Leopardstar pointed with her tail toward the center of the pool. Stars danced on the surface. "Touch your nose to the pool," Leopardstar instructed. I bent my head and placed my nose delicately on the surface of the pool, fearing that if I hit it too hard with my nose, the pool might shatter and disappear.

The pool _did_ shatter, but only for a moment. A heartbeat later, the pool flashed and reformed itself. A scene played in the center of it.

"The ThunderClan camp," A flame-colored tom sighed. "It pains me to see it like this."

"Whitepaw!" I cried as I gazed into the image. A flurry of fur and claws swept around the clearing, though it did not appear that the cats were fighting each other. They were fighting one cat: Tigerstar.

"She brought him back from the dead," A brown tabby tom meowed. "This is her punishment."

"What?" I mewed. "What's her punishment?"

"Look back into the pool," The flame-colored tom instructed. I leaned over the surface and peered into the image, searching for the lump of white fur that had been my one and only true friend. I saw her then, lying bloody and broken, the same way Tawnypelt had looked when she was killed. I wailed in grief and drew my head back, squeezing my eyes shut.

"I don't want to see any more!" I cried. Whitepaw was dead now, too. I was glad that she would be coming to join me soon, but I knew that it was all my fault. If I had been there to rescue her, things might have been different. Maybe…


	15. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Whitepaw

I opened my eyes and found myself in a dark forest. The only light came from the glowing fungus that stuck to the trees and undergrowth that surrounded me, trapping me. I stumbled into the undergrowth, trying to find my way out of this wretched place. The undergrowth parted, letting me through. I bounded into the clearing, which was the exact same as the one before it. I pushed my way through another tangle of undergrowth. The clearing it protected looked exactly like the ones before it. I continued to struggle through the seemingly endless labyrinth of trees and bushes. I sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of another cat. I smelled several. I picked the freshest scent trail and followed it eagerly through the forest.

"Who's there?" A voice mewed. I stopped dead in my tracks for a moment before whipping around to face the cat who stood behind me. It was a small golden she-cat with sea green eyes that shone with fear.

"I…I'm Whitepaw," I replied. "What is this place?"  
"I don't know!" The golden she-cat mewed. "I've been wandering this forest for so long! I've been here for at least seven moons by my count! How do we get out of here? Isn't StarClan supposed to have greeted us by now?"  
"What if this isn't StarClan?" I whimpered. "What if…what if this is the Place of No Stars?"

"I think you're right!" The golden she-cat wailed. "I…I didn't mean to kill Featherclaw! I just had to escape that horrid place so badly! And then I had to kill Greenfoot and Muddypath. So many cold-blooded murders…" The she-cat trailed off.

"I think I'm here because…because…" I stopped. "Have you ever heard of Tigerstar?"  
"Yes." The golden cat replied. "I believe we crossed paths once or twice. Why?"

"Well," I meowed. "I believe that I was sent here because I brought him back to the forest. But," I sighed. "I suppose I deserve this. And then I allowed him to put me into a trance and make me destroy the LakeClan camp. I killed queens and kits and apprentices and warriors, and I took three of the leader's lives away from him. It was so, so horrible!"

"Oh, I think that you deserve to be in StarClan," the golden cat mewed. "And that's why I'm going to take you there. Suddenly, the tiny, fearful golden she-cat transformed into a large, muscled golden warrior. Her green eyes sparked with joy. "At last, I've found you."

"You were...looking for me?" I mewed.

"Yes," the golden cat replied. "My name is Fangclaw. I am a warrior of StarClan. Whenever I see an innocent cat die and go to the Place of No Stars, I come here to look for them and retrieve them back, if they will admit their wrongs." Fangclaw dipped her, broad, flat head and bounded off.

"Wait!" I called, scrambling after her desperately. "Please, wait up!"

"Hurry up!" Fangclaw called over her shoulder as she disappeared into the undergrowth. I quickened my pace, now sprinting as quickly as I could. Suddenly, I burst through a screen of light. The flash temporarily blinded me, and then I was sitting beside a place I had only heard about in stories as a kit: The Moonpool. Fangclaw was halfway down the path, picking up speed as she went. When she reached the edge of the pool, she skidded to a stop right before she fell into the sparkling body of heavenly water.

"Good job, Fangclaw," a voice meowed. I whipped around.

"Firestar!" I yowled, bounding forward to meet the flame colored tom. He touched his nose tenderly to mine.

"Welcome, young Whitepaw," he purred. "You have admitted to your crime, and Fangclaw has retrieved you."

"But I thought StarClan could not enter the Place of No Stars," I meowed.

"Fangclaw can," Firestar replied. "She has a very special gift that allows her to teleport from realm to realm to rescue innocent lives."

"Wow," I murmured, my eyes growing wide. I turned to the golden warrior. "Thank you, Fangclaw."

"It's what I do," she replied, shrugging.

"Well, thanks for doing it."

"Now, let's get you back to the forest," Firestar meowed, padding toward the Moonpool. I trotted along his side eagerly.

"I'm going back!" I cried joyfully.

"Yes," Firestar purred. "You and Beechpaw both."

"Beechpaw's here, too?"

"Well, he left a little while ago, but he's waiting for you back in the forest."

"All you have to do," Fangclaw meowed. "Is jump into the Moonpool and swim to the bottom. Then, you will awaken where you last were in the forest, alive and rejuvianted."

Without another word, I leapt into the pool.

"And," Firestar mewed. "You will have no memory of this once you return!"

"Well then," I meowed. "I suppose I'm going to have to thank you before I forget, so thanks!" And wtih that, I dove into the pool.


	16. Chapter 13

**Oh, man. It's pouring down here. I hope the power doesn't give out on me while I'm writing.**

**W00T! I'm back from the ortho! All went well. Now I'm gonna wrap this up. (Not the whole story, just the climax.)**

Chapter 13: Beechpaw

I bounded through the forest, winding my way through the trees on ShadowClan's old territory. Something in my head told me that the LakeClan cats were in danger, and that I had to get there before something extraordinarly bad happened. With each pawstep I grew closer to the camp, and with every heartbeat I wasted more and more time. Rain began to fall heavily, soaking my pelt before too long. I struggled through the muddy ground, picking my way around boulders and bushes until finally, I came within view of the slope that lead down to the lake. I picked up my pace, moving as quickly as I could until I burst through the entrance of the camp. A chorus of screeches and yowls entered my ears before I realized that there was a battle going on. And by the look of it, the cats weren't fighting off an intruder. They were fighting off each other. It was ShadowClan against RiverClan, and RiverClan was losing. I had to save my Clan! But how? Then, I remembered something from my training before Hawkstar took over the two Clans. The gulch! I had fallen into the gulch when I first went hunting. It was covered in leaf muclh and hard to see. Sage bushes and peat grew there, and when it was raining, it was easier to hide your scent. I just hope I could get most of the cats safely out. First, I had to save the other apprentices. I found Willowpaw and Ripplepaw easily. They stood at the edge of the lake, fighting off Oakfur and his apprentice Smokepaw. If I could get to the edge of the lake without being seen and ambush the warrior, pushing him into the lake, maybe then I could get the two apprentices to the gulch. I crept along the camp wall, careful to stay within the shadows so that I would not be noticed, then, right before I was at the edge of the lake, I jumped out, extending my claws, and slashed Smokepaw down the back. He whipped around and tried to fight me, but I was too quick for the weakened apprentice. I leapt up in the air, avoiding his attack, then, as I fell back to earth, I rammed into him, sending him flying onto his mentor's back. The pressure of the hit sent the two ShadowClan cats tumbling into the water.

"Wow!" Ripplepaw cried, her eyes shining with admiration. "You saved us! Thanks!"

"Come _on_!" I cried, already bounding away. "We have to get to the gulch. You two'll be safe there!"

Ripplepaw readily followed me. Willowpaw trailed behind less willingly. Luckily, the entrance to the camp was not blocked by the tangled mass of fur and claws. I ducked through it and burst out into the forest a heartbeat later. Ripplepaw came out right at my tail. We sat together beneath the trees, allowing rain to soak our fur while we waited for Willowpaw. Many moments passed.

"I'm going back in there to find her," I announced, rising to my paws.

"I'm going with you!" Ripplepaw meowed.

"No," I hissed. "You could get hurt. Just get to the gulch. It's hidden behind a swath of brambles next to a rabbit hole. Hide among the peat and sage bushes. I promise, I'll come back as quickly as possible. It'll be like I was never gone." Before Ripplepaw could object, I dove through the gorse tunnel and back into the camp.

"Willowpaw?" I called, finding it difficult to see in the blinding rain.

"Beechpaw!" A weak mew sounded from behind me. I whipped around to see Willowpaw, lying in the middle of the camp, bleeding her life out rapidly. I had to get her to safety before she died! I bounded forward and grabbed her scruff in my teeth.

"I'll take care of you," I promised, beginning to drag her in the direction of the camp entrance. Willowpaw gave a small squeak and tried to say something, but I brushed my tail over her lips to silence her.

"Let the apprentice die," a voice snarled behind me. I whipped around to see Rowanclaw and Littlecloud standing behind me.

"Never!" I yowled. I dropped Willowpaw and leapt at Rowanclaw. Images of the harsh battle training I had gone through flashed in my head. Being piled on by five warriors, the severe injuries I had endured, Mothwing's kind eyes as she healed me. I shook my head, clearing it of that dreadeed day and leapt onto Rowanclaw. He nipped at my ear, but I ducked away just in time. His jaws made an audible _snap_ as they closed around the air where my ear had been only a heartbeat ago. I lashed out with an unsheathed paw at his face, scoring a long, deep mark along his cheek. Rowanclaw howled in pain, shaking me off. Then he turned tail and ran. I stood up and whipped around to face Littlecloud, my head down halfway, my eyes narrowed and my ears flattened. I was willing to fight to the death to save Willowpaw.

"What can _you_ do?" I growled. Littlecloud's eyes widened, and he turned and took off after the deputy. I picked Willowpaw up again and dragged her out of the camp. _What wimps!_ I thought happily as I padded through the gorse tunnel. Those two had been too easy to fight off. Suddenly, something hit me from behind. Something hard and sharp. I fell to the ground, Willowpaw's scruff still clamped in my jaws. I struggled with the blackness that lingered at the corners of my vision, daring to swallow me up. I staggered back to my paws and continued to drag Willowpaw unsteadily in the direction of the gulch. The blackness crawled out of the corners of my eyes and right into the middle. I could just barely see the gulch as I stumbled through it and placed Willowpaw underneath a sage bush so she would stay dry until we could get help. Then, I collapsed onto my side, and all turned black.


	17. UPDATE! PLEASE READ!

Notice: I am not going to be updating as often this weekend, since my friends are going to be here until Sunday. for those of you who are wondering, Beechpaw is _not_ dead! he is going to liiiive! I will probably update again by seven o'clock tonight or early tomorrow morning. That's all for now. Bye!


	18. Chapter 14

**Well, I'm back sooner than I'd expected! So, here's chapter 14!**

**spottednose24: Yeah. It's going to be from the POV of Beechpaw and Whitepaw once again. Maybe also from the POV of another cat whose name I shall not mention.**

**RaynyCrowy: Nope! Hello!**

Chapter 14: Whitepaw

I opened my eyes to find myself lying in a moist, mossy nest. I sniffed the air, trying to remember what I had just gone through, but my mind was in a haze. I could smell a familiar scent, and my brain told me that the scent I picked up was a good scent, but I couldn't quite place the name of it.

"You're awake," A familiar voice meowed. I lifted my head and faced the brown tom that stood over me. His green eyes shone softly.

"W...who are you?" Mewed a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. "Who was that?"

"I am Barkface," the brown tom replied. "And that voice you just heard was your own."

"What am I doing here?" I asked.

"You hit your head on a _very_ sharp rock during a battle that happened very recently. I believe you've lost your memory. But worry not, we'll help you restore your memory as quickly as possible. Come on, then." Barkface bent down and picked me up by the back of my neck. I flew off the ground and squealed in fright. Barkface set me down on my paws. I wobbled around unsteadily.

"Just put one paw in front of the other," Barkface instructed. I tried it. It wasn't actually as hard as I had thought it would be. I padded around the den, taking in every detail, hoping that something in the stuffy den would trigger a part of my memory. I recognized the patter of rain on the roof of the medicine den. I recognized a few of the herbs in the back of the den. I noticed borage, mallow, marigold, and juniper. Then, I turned to look at Barkface. I remembered that he was the medicine cat of RushClan, the Clan that I was currently living in, under the reign of...I couldn't place the name of the leader.

Suddenly, as I looked over Barkface, I remembered another cat who had a brown pelt and green eyes. He was important. Someone who had led me to the LakeClan camp. The one who had made me go into the pit of death. Beechpaw!

"I have to find Beechpaw!" I yowled, bounding out of the medicine den and into the pouring rain.

"Whitepaw!" Barkface called after me, though he didn't bother chasing me. "You won't be able to find your way! You have amnesia!"

"I'll manage!" I called over my shoulder as I plunged out of camp and into the shadowy forest. I stopped dead in my tracks, staring up at the treetops with wide eyes. Barkface was right. I couldn't remember a single thing. I couldn't remember which way lead to the LakeClan camp. I couldn't remember where the stream that divided the two territories was. I couldn't even remember Beechpaw's scent. Not that I'd be able to smell it in this storm. A tunderclap sounded from above, making me jump. I began to charge blindly into the trees, weaving through the underbrush. I splashed through a long, winding puddle. It took me a moment to realize that this puddle was a stream. The stream that divided the territories! I bounded down the stream, following it as it flowed south into the thick forest.

I raced along the bank of the river for what seemed like days. Rain still pounded on my already-soaked pelt. The clouds in the sky turned inky black, and I assumed it was night already. My stomach growled, but I couldn't remember how to catch prey. My eyelids drooped, so I padded under the nearest bush and curled up in the driest spot I could find. I hoped with all my heart that I was on the right path, and that I would soon come upon Beechpaw, and that he would be alright. The last thing that went through my mind before I fell asleep was this: _Beechpaw is dead._


	19. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Beechpaw

Dedicated to spottednose24

I opened my eyes slowly, expecting to find myself in StarClan. Instead, I found myself on a cold, hard stone floor in a dark hole.

"You're awake!" A voice cried. I raised my head to see Ripplepaw bounding over to me. She covered me in joyful licks. "I thought you'd died!"

"I'm alive," I grumbled, rising to my paws and shaking my moist pelt. "Where in StarClan are we?"

"We're in a cave in the side of the gulch!" Ripplepaw announced. "While you were off getting Willowpaw, I busied myself exploring the gulch."

"So you _didn't_ hide like I told you to?" I meowed.

"No," Ripplepaw admitted sheepishly. "I wanted to find a more sheltered place. So I walked up and down the gulch and I found a little hole in the side of the gulch and I crawled into it. It turned out to be this _ginormous_ cave! And there were mice everywhere! And it's so warm and spacey! It's a perfect place to start CaveClan!"

"CaveClan?" I mewed. "What are you talking about?"

"Well," Ripplepaw meowed. "We could gather a bunch of loners and some of the cats from the horseplace and start a Clan. We already have a medicine cat, and I could be the leader, and we could be mates and..."

"Wait, wait, wait," I mewed, stopping her. "_Mates_?"

"Well, yeah," Ripplepaw replied. "Don't you love me?"

"Um..." I murmured. "First of all, we're apprentices. And second, I already love another cat."

"Willowpaw?" Ripplepaw guessed.

"Me?" Willowpaw mewed, padding to Ripplepaw's side. Her eyes sparkled.

"No," I meowed. "She's...not in LakeClan."

"A forbidden love?" Ripplepaw growled. "Don't make me exile you from CaveClan!"

"Oh, shut up!" I snarled. "We're _not_ a Clan! We're _apprentices_! You're way too young to be a leader!"

"But..." Ripplepaw mewed. "We're almost warriors. In fact, I'll bet if you hadn't come and _rescued_ us, we'd be recieveing our warrior names right now! In fact..." Ripplepaw turned to a series of ledges that jutted out of the wall of the cave. She stopped at the highest ledge and looked down upon me and Willowpaw.

"Ripplepaw," Willowpaw meowed. "What _are_ you doing?"

"I'm giving you two your warrior names!" Ripplepaw announced. "I, Ripplestar, leader of CaveClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these two apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Willowpaw, from this daw forth, you shall be known as Willowleaf. StarClan honors your courage and your knowledge. Beechpaw, from this daw forth, you shall be known as Beechwhisker. StarClan honors your nobility and strength." With that, the she-cat leapt down from the ledge and padded into a mossy nest underneath the series of ledges.

"Beechwhisker!" Willowpaw called, bounding up to me. "Isn't this great? I'm a full medicine cat now!"

"Willowpaw," I grumbled. "CaveClan isn't _real_."

"My name is Willow_leaf_," Willowleaf corrected sharply. "Medicine cat of CaveClan."

"I'm going hunting for _CaveClan_," I grumbled, padding toward the cave entrance.

"Wait!" Ripplestar called, bounding up to me. She stood in front of the entrace, trying to keep me from leaving, I assumed.

"What?" I snapped.

"You'd better not go off to see your _love_," Ripplestar cautioned.

"I _won't_!" I growled, shoving the she-cat out of my way. "Now let me through."

Ripplestar stepped aside, and I bounded blindly into the forest. I didn't care where I was going, but I knew I wasn't coming back.


	20. Chapter 16

**spottednose24: Beechpaw is not to blame at this point. He's just under pressure. Poor little dude...No, CaveClan is not real, but there is an unknown Clan very similar to them. Check out this chapter.**

**Summerstream13: Yep! Just like Tigerstar, only without the ambition. Thanks! She lost her memory becuase she hit her head on a **_**very**_** sharp rock during a battle that happened very recently. :)**

**Stonetail's Loyalty: You'll find out soon!**

**RaynyCrowy: Yeah. I think I'm running out of ideas. I need to drink some more tea. I know. I'm starting to hate Ripplepaw.**

Chapter 16: Whitepaw

I opened my eyes slowly, hoping I wouldn't feel rain on my face. Sadly, I felt a drop of water spatter onto my nose. I shook it off angrily and padded out into the forest. The rain wasn't as heavy as it had been last night, but it still came down heavily. I shook my soaked pelt and padded down the bank of the stream. I planned on following it until I found Beechpaw, no matter how long it took. I bounded along the winding bank until the rain stopped, then sat down to rest briefly. My stomach growled. I had to find something to eat before I starved to death. I scented the air, picking up a warm, moist smell. _Mouse_! I padded cautiously toward the scent. I didn't hear the scuffling of pawsteps that should have greeted me, though the scent grew stronger with each paw step. I stopped in front of a small, scraggly bush and shoved my face into it. I spotted the mouse lying dead on a patch of grass. I bent over and picked it up gently between my jaws. Then I padded over to a tree that grew on the bank next to the stream and practically shoved my face into the mouse. I gulped it down in a few ravenous bites, then stood, shook my pelt again, and continued along the edge of the stream. The bank turned from sand to grass to rock, and then stopped altogether. By this time, the sun had set and clouds had gathered again, daring to unleash their watery wrath. The stream had stopped. I groaned and plopped onto the ground.

"I don't feel so great," I mumbled to no one in particular.

"Hey, you there," A gruff voice snarled. I didn't have the strength to turn my head. "Are you alive, kid?" A paw prodded my back. I groaned.

"Is she hurt?" A feminine voice mewed.

"She doesn't look too good," A third voice put in. "We should get her to the rock before it starts pouring again."

"But it could hurt her!" the second cat fretted.

"We can't just leave her here," The third cat pointed out. I felt teeth grip the back of my neck, but I didn't bother to fight back as the cats dragged me along the peaty ground. I splashed through a few puddles, trying to ignore the chilly water that seeped through my fur and onto my skin.

After a while, I felt another pair of teeth gently grip my tail. By this time, I had closed my eyes, and hadn't the strength to open them again, so I didn't know what the three cats looked like.

"We're here," the first voice meowed after a while. The second cat released my tail.

"We should get her to the healer," the third cat suggested.

"I'll get her a nest!" the second cat mewed.

"I'll notify the leader," the first cat meowed. I felt myself being dragged along a hard stone floor for a while before being set gently onto a pile of moss.

"Who is this?" A gentle voice inquired.

"We found her on the bank of the stream," the second cat replied.

"She's so small!" the gentle voice cried. "Where do you think she's from?"

"I believe she's from one of the forest Clans," the second cat mewed. "Can you keep her warm and safe until we can find out where she's from and what happened to her?"

"Certainly," the gentle voice meowed. I felt a warm, soft pelt press against the moist, unkempt fur along my flank. The gentle lapping of a tongue over my head lulled me into a deep sleep.

"Wake up, dear," A gentle voice mewed. I opened my eyes and glanced around. I was inside a warm, spacey cave. A fluffy silver tabby sat beside me, licking me gently.

"Where am I?" I asked, surprised at how easily my voice came.

"You're in CoveClan," the silver tabby replied. "I'm Onyxwing. Duskfeather, Owlpelt, and Splashdown found you by the bank of the stream yesterday and brought you here. Where are you from?"

"I...I'm not sure," I replied. "I think I'm from...ThunderClan. I can't remember much. I hit my head and got amnesia. I need to find Beechpaw. Do you know where he is?"

"I'm sorry dear," Onyxwing mewed. "But I don't know who Beechpaw is."

"She's over here," A gruff meow sounded from behind me. I turned to face a fluffy gray tom with dark amber eyes.

"This is her?" Asked a cream and brown she-cat who stood beside him.

"Yes," the gray tom replied. He turned to face me. "I am Splashdown. This is Smallstar." Splashdown flicked his tail in the direction of his companion.

"Welcome to CoveClan," Smallstar meowed, turning to face me. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Oh, yes please!" I mewed. "Do you have any thrushes?"

"I think we have a few in our fresh-kill pile," Smallstar replied. "But first, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"Of course not," I meowed, sitting up in my nest. "Ask away."

"Alright then," Smallstar meowed. "What Clan are you from?"

"RushClan," I replied. "But it used to be called ThunderClan."

"Who are your parents and what Clan are they from?"

"My mother is Brightheart and my father is Cloudtail, and they're both from ThunderClan."

"Have you ever stolen prey from another Clan?"  
"No," I replied quickly. I didn't bother mentioning that I _had_ stolen prey before, but I was under Tigerstar's control, so technically, I wasn't at fault.

"Why did you travel down the stream and onto our territory?"

"I was looking for Beechpaw," I replied. "I...I suppose I was going the wrong way."

"Just one more question," Smallstar meowed. "Who is Beechpaw?"

"He's my friend from LakeClan," I mewed.

"Okay then," Smallstar stood and padded away from us. She flicked her tail at Splashdown. "I would like to see you in my den. Now."

Splashdown bent over to lick Onyxwing's ear before turning and following Smallstar away.

"How long am I going to be here?" I asked, turning to Onyxwing.

"Smallstar will announce it later," the silver tabby replied. "For now, get some rest."

Unhappily, I settled back into my nest and closed my eyes. I was asleep within a heartbeat.


	21. Chapter 17

**Stonetail's Loyalty: Yessum. There's an indentation in the side of the river. That's where CoveClan lives.**

**RaynyCrowy: Nope. CoveClan has lived by the lake for a **_**long**_** time, **_**way**_** before the other Clans came.**

**Summerstream13: Thanks! Yup! They're going to be included in the allegiances for the next story, since one or two of the cats play an important role in it.**

**Spottednose24: Thanks!**

Chapter 17: Beechpaw

As I raced, I formulated a plan. I decided that I would go to RushClan and beg for them to take me in so that I could be with Whitepaw. I picked up my pace, now sprinting in the direction of the RushClan camp. I crossed the stream that divided the two territories and raced through the trees.

"Whitepaw!" I hollered, looking around frantically as I pounded over the rough grass. "Whitepaw, are you there?"  
Then I came across the old ThunderClan camp. The scents of ThunderClan and WindClan mingled in my nose, making me sneeze. A patrol padded out of the entrance to the camp. I recognized the deputy of RushClan, Brackenfur, Crowfeather, Sandstorm, Firestar's mate, and Cloudtail, Whitepaw's father. With them were three other cats I didn't recognize: A long-limbed black tom, a dark brown tabby tom, and a dark gray tom with blue eyes. The dark gray tom glared at me. Crowfeather, Cloudtail, and the long-limbed black tom hissed at me. Brackenfur whipped around and snarled.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm looking for Whitepaw," I replied. I noticed Cloudtail glance at me suspiciously.

"Why?" Brackenfur growled.

I froze. How was I supposed to explain my feelings for Cloudtail's daughter? "I..." I began, then stopped. "I need to speak with Brightheart. May I?"

"_No_!" Cloudtail yowled, unsheathing his claws.

"Leave the apprentice be," Brackenfur ordered. "He may have some information as to the whereabouts of Whitepaw."

_She disappeared?_ I thought.

"Fine," Cloudtail growled, retracting his claws. "But if you harm a hair on Brightheart's pelt..."

"Calm down, Cloudtail," Brackenfur meowed, stepping in between the two of us. He turned to face me. "Brightheart will speak to you beneath the Halfrock. You have until the next search party is sent out."

"When is that?" I asked.

"Sunhigh," Brackenfur replied. I looked up at the sky. I didn't have much time left. I nodded curtly before dashing through the thorn barrier and into the camp.I felt glares prick my pelt as I passed through a crowd of conversing cats. I padded over to the nursery and poked my head inside. It was very warm compared to the harsh temperatures of outside.

"Where is Brightheart?" I asked.

"Last time I saw her," A brown tabby she-cat replied. "She was was eating beneath the Halfrock." The she-cat pointed with her tail to a rock that jutted out of the ground near the camp wall. I nodded and bounded off toward the Halfrock. A ginger-and-white she-cat with one green eye sat alone beneath the rock, munching on a scrawny squirrel.

"Hello," I meowed, trying to sound as friendly as possible as I sat down in front of her.

"Who are _you_?" Brightheart mewed, the hair along her spine raising.

"I'm Beechpaw," I replied, bowing my head respectfully. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to you about Whitepaw."

"You know where she is?" Brightheart cried, her eye sparkling with joy.

"No," I meowed sadly. Brightheat's head drooped. "But, do you remember the first time she disappeared?"

"Of course," Brightheart replied.

"Well, I'm the reason she disappeard," I admitted. "You see, we met at the last Gathering, and I told her I wanted to see her again, so we met on the ShadowClan border at the half-moon. Then we fell asleep on the border. Apparently, I fell asleep and didn't wake up, so Whitepaw tried to keep me warm when Rowanclaw and Swallowtail appeared and took us to the LakeClan camp. Hawkstar sent Whitepaw into the pit of death as punishment for attempting to 'murder' me.

"After I woke up, I sent Willowpaw down to get Whitepaw, but Whitepaw got out by herself, then she came back here to warn you all about the threat Tigerstar brought with him. And now she's gone again. I believe it's all my fault."

"Why are you telling me this?" Brightheart asked, listening to me now with rapt attention.

"Because..." I struggled to find some way to describe my feelings. "Because I love your daughter, and I want to help you find her."

Brightheart was silent for a moment. "Well," she meowed at last, her eye warm. "I couldn't pick a better, more honest tom for my daughter. I would be very glad if you would help us."

"Really?" I mewed, surprised that Brightheart had accepted me so readily.

"Of course," Brightheart purred. "I had noticed that, after the Gathering, Whitepaw's mind was a bit preoccupied, and I was sure she was thinking about another cat. She muttered your name in her sleep once, and I've been wanting to meet you ever since." She licked my ear softly. "Now, do you think you might know where she has gone?"

"What happened to her after she warned you about the battle?"

"She hit her head on a rock and got amnesia, but somehow she managed to remember you and raced off shouting your name."

"Well," I started. "I didn't see her near the LakeClan camp, so I think she must've followed the stream south."

"Brilliant!" Brightheart cried. "I'll take you on a search party with me right now, just the two of us. It'll go much faster."

I nodded in agreement and followed Brightheart as she sped out of camp. A dark ginger she-cat sat at the entrance to the camp, keeping watch.

"I'm going to look for Whitepaw!" Brightheart announced to the she-cat as we passed. "Tell Cloudtail Beechpaw came with me!"  
"Alright!" The she-cat mewed.

My stomach bubbled with excitement. My love for Whitepaw had been accepted, and _I_ would be the one to find her! Finally, things began to look up once more.


	22. Chapter 18

**Stonetail's Loyalty: One of my fav charries in the books! Please refer to the second sentence of my reply to Summerstream13.**

**Stardawn: She has a black tail and big black flecks on both of her flanks that look kind of like wings, which is how she got her name. They wanted to know about her, whether or not she was good.**

**Spottednose24: Thanks SO much!**

**Summerstream: Thank you, thank you, thank you:) You'll find out at around chapter 20.**

**RaynyCrowy: Yay Brightheart! huggles Brightheart I luffled Brightheart since she was a tiny kit, and I didn't want to ruin her reputation, so I made her the only one who believes in Beechpaw.**

**NOTICE: Okay, so this is going to be a little different. While Beechpaw and Brightheart went off looking for Whitepaw, they got lost. I'm not sure how that happened, but Brightheart gave up after a while, thinking her daughter was dead, and went back to RushClan with Beechpaw, who was accepted into RushClan by Bramblestar. Since then, Beechpaw has been given his warrior name, and RushClan has expanded their territory so that it's inside CoveClan's territory, but nobody knows that. At least, not yet. BTW, it's a complete coincidence that Whiteheart and Rivenheart have the same suffix in their names. I just noticed that.**

**WARNING: Some content in this chapter may be a bit,...disturbing. Just thought you might like to know.**

Chapter 18: Whitepaw

"Rivenheart!" I called from my nest in the nursery. Rivenheart, my mate, padded over to my side. His sleek black fur covered up hard, rippling muscles, and his eyes were an odd pale blue.

"Yes, my lovely queen?" he meowed, licking my ear lovingly.

"Would you mind bringing me a mouse?" I asked. "Taking care of Palekit and Shadowkit is really quite tiring." Palekit and Shadowkit were my two kits that were born three moons ago. Palekit was named for her white pelt and pale blue eyes. Shadowkit had green eyes and a sleek black pelt, just like his father's. The two were quite rambunctious, and were always getting into trouble. I often got complaints from the other queens, Onyxwing and Sableheart, about thier nightly rampages, when they raced around the nursery tackling each other and rolling over the other kits, so lately I'd been staying up until I was sure tehy were asleep before I could permit myself to even close my eyes, and it was wearing me out.

"Of course, Whiteheart," Rivenheart replied. He turned and padded off in the direction of the fresh-kill pile.

"Mommy!" Palekit cried, bounding over to me. "Shadowkit pounced on me!"

"Did not!" Shadowkit mewled as he padded over to us.

"Did too!" Palekit shot back.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Quit fighting, please!" I meowed, cuffing each kit over the ears. Palekit squealed and fell over.

"Please, Whiteheart," Rivenheart purred as he padded back into the nursery, a mouse clamped in his jaws. "Let the kits have their fun. They won't be kits forever, you know."

"I know," I sighed, staring into his penetrating blue eyes. They reminded me of how we met.

A couple of moons after I had been accepted into the Clan by Smallstar, she gave me the opportunity to go hunting on my own. I went down to the stream, stopping to hunt where it was the deepest and widest, and where the current was the fastest. Rivenheart, who at the time was called Rivenpaw, had been on a patrol with Splashdown, Owlpelt, and his mentor Hauntedsoul. Rivenpaw had been sent down to the stream to hunt as well, though we weren't in the same place. He heard me when I fell into the stream trying to catch an extremely plump salmon, and came to my rescue right before I drowned. After that, we were practically inseperable. Of course, we were only friends at the time, but as we began to grow older, I started to develop feelings for him. Two moons after I was given the name Whiteheart, he confessed that he, too, had feelings for me, and then we had kits a few moons later.

"Are you alright there?" Rivenheart asked, pulling me away from my reverie.

"Never better," I replied, sighing contentedly.

"Good," Rivenheart meowed, licking my muzzle. "I'm going to go on a hunting patrol with Smallstar and Crimsonclaw. I'll be back at moonrise." He licked my muzzle again, then turned and padded off.

"Palekit, Shadowkit, please come here," I mewed.

"I'm here!" Palekit mewled as she padded to my side. Shadowkit bustled in behind his sister and sat beside her.

"Yeah?" he meowed.

"I want you two to stay out of trouble while I'm gone," I ordered. "I'll be back soon. Do you think you can behave until I get back?"

"Where are you going?" Palekit asked.

"It's none of your business," I replied sternly. "I love you both." I bent down and licked each tiny kit on the head before turning and bounding out of camp, following the hunting patrol so that I wouldn't have to move the boulder that blocked the camp entrance myself. As soon as the rock was moved, I darted out of it before anyone could notice me. I bounded over to a bramble thicket and crouched inside of it, waiting as the patrol padded off in the other direction. Once they were out of sight, I crept out of the thicket and padded in away from them. I was headed upstream, toward my old home, though I didn't plan on going to vist the camp. I wanted to hunt. I longed to feel the wind in my fur as I bounded through the grass after a squirrel. I longed for the satisfying feeling of teeth meeting prey. Before I knew it, the sun had begun to set, and I realized that I had been out for a very long time. The other queens would begin to worry about me if I didn' get back soon. But, they couldn't be mad if I brought back a mouse or two. I sniffed the air, instantly picking up the scent of a live mouse that I missed so much. I crouched down and pulled myself slowly forward, ready to spring. As the mouse came within view, I heard a low growl. I raised my head, and a heartbeat later I was knocked to the ground by a muscular bundle of brown fur.

"What are you doing on RushClan territory?" the tom snarled.

"_RushClan_?" I mewed. "What in the name of StarClan are you talking about? The last time I checked, this was CoveClan territory!"

"CoveClan?" the tom meowed. Obviously he had never heard of my Clan before. I suddenly recognized a familiar glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.

"Beechpaw?" I asked.

"Beech_wood_," he corrected harshly. Then, he gazed into my eyes, obviously recognizing me as well. "W...Whitepaw?"

"Whiteheart," I corrected teasingly.

"Wow!" Beechwood yowled, stepping off of me. He nuzzled me gently. "It's great to see you! Come on, I'll take you back to RushClan!"

"I...I can't," I replied. "I have a home now. I can't just leave CoveClan without a good reason."

"Well, before I go," Beechwood started. He wrapped himself around me and layed me down gently. I purred softly. Then he climbed on top of me and grabbed me by my scruff. "I love you, Whiteheart," he purred. I struggled and _mrrow_ed in pain as he began to work his way 'into' me.

"What are you doing?" I yowled. "I _have_ a family!"

"Hey, you!" A voice yowled from behind us. The voice belonged to Rivenheart.

"Rivenheart!"I cried. "Help me!"

"Get off of my mate, you RushClan scum!" Rivenheart snarled, launching himself at Beechwood. The brown tom was easily crushed by Rivenheart's weight. I scrambled to my paws and dashed over to Crimsonclaw and Smallstar, who had followed Rivenheart here. In a moment, Beechwood was sent off into the woods, bleeding heavily from his muzzle and flank.

"Thanks _so_ much, Rivenheart!" I mewed, nuzzling him, but he shoved me away, growling, and stalked off. I started to say something to Crimsonclaw and Smallstar, but they, too, growled and picked up their pace. I had found one of my old friends, and because of it, my mate and the leader and deputy hated me. _Why, StarClan, did you do this to me?_


	23. Chapter 19

**RaynyCrowy: You mean you've read worse stories? Or do you mean you've read worse...material? Yeppers! Thanks!**

**Spottednose24: Thanks! Don't worry, I **_**promise**_** I'll get back to SkyClan and Fallen Leaves soon. I've been typing up new chapters for them, so when I'm done here, I'll be able to upload a lot of chapters at once.**

**Ryan Miller Hottest Goalie (Another new fan!!!): Me, too!**

**Petalstream (W00t! New fan!): Thanks! I try not to make any mistakes, but sometimes I'm typing so fast my fingers slip.**

**Summerstream13: I know...Thanks! I decided to change the plot of the story instead of keeping it the way my fans expected it to be. Twists and turns! I know! I feels bad for ze poor kitteh, too!**

**I'm about to finish the story. There are going to be about twenty one to twenty three chapters. I'm going to write the final chapter from the POV of another cat from CoveClan, possibly Smallstar. Anyway, you'll find out soon enough. Until then, please enjoy chapter 19!**

Chapter 19: Beechpaw

I growled under my breath as I raced back toward the ThunderClan camp. My flank stung, making me wince as I moved through the shadows of the trees as the sun began to set. I quickened my pace, despite the sting in my side, as I came within view of the RushClan camp.

"Beechwood!" Brightheart mewed in surprise as I stumbled into the camp, my blood spattering onto the dusty ground of the camp. "What in StarClan's name happened to you?"

"I found your daughter," I replied, my voice full of contempt.

"So why are you so bloody and angry?" Brightheart asked.

Without speaking, I turned and bounded up the rockfall to the Highledge.

"Cats of RushClan!" I yowled as I reached the top. "Gather below the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

"What's going on?" Rainwhisker asked as he, Dustpelt, Leafpool, and Morningflower stepped out of the warrior's den. Leafpool's two tiny kits, Jaypaw and Narrowpaw, bounded out of the apprentice's den, followed by Sorreltail's kits, Willowpaw, Cedarpaw, and Heatherpaw. The rest of the Clan arrived more slowly. Some had criticizing stares. Others seemed frightened by my matted, grisly appearance. The rest seemed either accusing, curious, or neutral.

"I have an announcement!" I replied. "I have discovered a new Clan! They are vicious and bloodthirsty, and they need to be destoryed!"

"You mean, just like we slayed RiverClan and banished ShadowClan from the forest?" Crowfeather meowed.

"Yes!" I yowled. "We must attack right away!"

"A new Clan, you say?" A rumbling purr sounded from behind me. I whipped around to see Bramblestar standing directly behind me, staring at me curiously through narrowed eyes. "Do they pose a threat?"

"A _huge_ threat!" I lied. "_Immense_! We must attack as soon as possible!"

"Right," Bramblestar meowed in agreement. He padded to my side and looked down on the crowd of cats that had gathered beneath us. "I will send only the strongest, most capable cats into battle." The tabby tom looked down on his Clan. "I will send Brackenfur, Crowfeather, Owlwhisker, Weaselfur, Nightcloud, Leafpool, Ashfoot, Tornear, Webfoot, Squirrelflight, Thornclaw, Dustpelt, Beechwood, Cedarpaw, Narrowpaw, and Willowpaw into battle."

Narrowpaw trotted over to join her mentor, Thornclaw, while Dustpelt, Webfoot, Crowfeather, and Brackenfur pulled Cedarpaw aside to discuss forms of combat. Willowpaw and Owlwhisker dashed off toward the medicine den to help Barkface prepare for the coming battle. I padded down the side of the rockfall and padded over to my apprentice, Jaypaw.

"Beechwood!" he cried. "Please, please, oh _please_ let me go into battle! It's not fair that my younger sister gets to go into battle! She's not nearly as qualified as I am!"

"I'm sorry," I meowed, trying to let the eager, resilient apprentice off easily. "But I don't think Bramblestar will change his mind."

"You _have_ to try!" Jaypaw insisted. "_Please_!"

I sighed, feeling torn. What if Bramblestar said no? Jaypaw would be _heartbroken_! No apprentice of mine was about to be shoved off like a piece of Twoleg junk. Straightening my posture, I drew in a deep breath and padded over to where Bramblestar stood, conversing with his deputy.

"Bramblestar," I meowed in a firm tone.

"What?" the leader growled, without turning to face me.

"I believe that my apprentice is more than capable of taking on a new Clan. I honestly think that we should take him into battle with us."

"Go ahead, then," Bramblestar replied, flicking his tail dismissively.

I bounded back to my apprentice. When Jaypaw saw the way my face lit up, his lit up, too, only his was ten times as radiant.

"I'm coming!" He cried, leaping up in the air.

"Yes," I replied, flicking my tail. "Come along then. I'm going to lead the first wave of attacks." I bounded back up the rockfall to the Highledge and yowled, "Attention, cats of RushClan!" Every cat in the clearing, except for Bramblestar and Brackenfur, froze in their tracks and turned to face me. "Please pay attention! The following cats will be in the first wave of attackers: Crowfeater, Jaypaw, Narrowpaw. Thornclaw, Dustpelt, Leafpool, Nightcloud, Webfoot, Tornear, Ashfoot, and Owlwhisker. Please be ready to leave immediately." The cats whose names I had called unfroze and began to gather near the camp entrance. I bounded back down the rockfall and padded calmly to the front of the group. With a sweep of my tail, I led them out into the forest. No matter what it took, I _would_ get revenge on that Rivenheart scum for taking Whiteheart from me.


	24. Chapter 20

**Cherrystripe of ThunderClan (I think I read one of your stories!): Well, read on! It changes. Yeah, Bramblestar was pretty cool before I ruined his reputation.**

**Summerstream13: Thanks, thanks, thanks! Yep, he sure is!**

**spottednose24: Well, that answers my question: Do people swear on FF? Thanks for answering it! Yep, quite crazy. Thanks.**

**Stonetail's Loyalty: Don't worry. He's about to.**

Chapter 20: Whitepaw

A bloodcurdling wail split the night. My eyes shot open, and I looked around the nursery. Everything was still and silent, and, as usual, my kits were nowhere in sight. I heard another wail, a screech, and the pattering of tiny paws across the cave floor. A white shape streaked into the nursery and buried itself in my chest fur.

"Shadowkit!" Palekit wailed. "They got Shadowkit!"

"Who?" I asked desperately. "Who got Shadowkit?"

"The bad cats!" Palekit mewled. "They're invading the camp! Shadowkit and I tried to hold them off, but they got Shadowkit, and now..." Palekit trailed off, her voice choking with pain.

"RushClan!" I gasped. In a flash, I was out of my nest and halfway across the camp, heading for the entrance. "Get away from our camp, you scum!" I yowled as I launched up the tunnel and into the forest above. The wet, sandy ground slurped at my paws as I pounded across the shore of the stream. I heard the screech before I saw anything. An eerie, scratchy wail. I whipped around in the direction of the wail. Before I could even blink, a tremendously muscular cat knocked me to the ground from behind.

"Now!" he yowled. Many, many cats streamed out of the undergrowth and onto the shore of the stream. Even in the murky darkness of night, I could recognize a few cats I had known from when I was an apprentice. A gray tom leapt onto my back.

"Rainwhisker!" I mewed as I struggled under the tom's weight.

"How do you know my name?" Rainwhisker demanded.

"Because I'm..." I was cut off by a yowl.

"Attack her, you lazy mousebrains!"

"Beechwood!" I gasped, craning my neck to see the brown tom standing behind a row of brambles. "What have you done with Shadowkit?"

"A new recruit," Beechwood replied, flicking his tail. "We need more warriors to make RushClan even stronger, and your young Shadowkit would make a very nice warrior if properly trained."

"You let him go!" I yowled as more cats piled on top of me.

"Don't just sit there!" Beechwood ordered. "Attack the camp!"

Rainwhisker leapt off of me and flicked his tail. Every other cat in the clearing, except for Beechwood and I, raced into the CoveClan camp.

"No!" I cried, leaping to my paws and bounding after them. Beechwood flung himself at me, sending me crashing to the ground.

"You didn't wait for me!" he accused as he unsheathed his claws. "You said you would! Now, I'm going to make your death long and painful." Beechwood jabbed his claws into my flank. I hissed as he padded casually along my side on three paws, ripping his claws across my stomach. I tried to hold in a yowl of pure agony, but I hadn't the strength. I let the yowl loose. It echoed through the forest quite loudly for a moment. Beechwood stopped to listen until the echo disappeared.

He sighed contentedly as blood pusled from my wound. "And that was just the beginning."

"Stay away from her!" A yowl sounded from behind us as Beechwood stuck his claws in my chest and nearly ripped me apart. I screeched in pain, writhing on the ground as blood stained my white fur. A black shape, darker than the night itself, launched itself at Beechwood. The two cats tussled briefly before Beechwood was flung across the stream by Rivenheart's mighty paws.

"Rivenheart!" I mewed, staggering to my paws. Rivenheart dashed to my side and allowed me to lean on him.

"I thought you were dead," he mewed as he licked my ear fretfully.

"I...I thought you were still mad at me because of what happened with Beechwood."

"Oh, that?" Rivenheart meowed. "It's alright. I'm just glad that you're safe." He gave me another lick on the ear before he guided me back into CoveClan's camp. Every cat in the camp seemed to be fighting. Crimsonclaw and Smallstar were battling Nightcloud and a gray tabby apprentice. Splashdown, Onyxwing's mate, was fighting Dustpelt, Webfoot, and Tornear with his oldest sons Rushingwind and Wolfgaze. Rushingwind's black pelt was stained with flecks of blood. Wolfgaze's silver pelt was stainless, from what I could see. Dawnfeather and Owlpelt, with their apprentices Stonepaw and Shadepaw, were tussling with Thornclaw and a gray tom apprentice with misty blue eyes. Several dead cats, most of them from RushClan, were scattered across the ground. Others were on the cave floor writihing and bleeding their lives out. It pained me to see my old Clanmates suffering. Suddenly, my heart stopped. I knew that this wasn't every cat who would be coming. It was just like Bramblestar to hide from the face of danger. He and his wave would be coming soon. I had to stop them.

"Rivenheart!" I mewed. "Bramblestar's sending another wave soon! He sent the first one just to weaken our defenses! We have to be ready! He'll..."

I was cut off a a caterwaul as one of the CoveClan cats guarding the entrance to the camp, one of the cats I had been made a warrior with, and old friend named Foxfang, fell to the ground, bleeding heavily from both flanks. Only one cat could deliver such a blow.

"Bramblestar!" I yowled as the tabby tom pounded into the clearing, followed by many more cats. I bounded away from Rivenheart to fight with Weaselfur and Crowfeather. Crowfeather's eyes glinted with malice as he swiped at me with an unsheathed paw. I dodged it and bounded toward him. He stood still, as if waiting for me to pounce on him. Quickly, I changed my plans. Before he could step out of the way, I leapt over him. He whipped around to face me just as I unsheathed my claws and swiped at his leg. I felt my claws hook one of his hind paws as he spun. My claws dragged along his body, tearing a long, deep wound in one side from his hind paw all the way to his face. Weaselfur leapt at me as Crowfeather fell to the ground. I ducked, unsheathing my claws and sticking my paws out. As Weaselfur flew over me, I scratched the length of his underbelly. He yowled in agony as I ripped my claws out of him. Blood spattered onto my face as the tom fell. I staggered to my paws and _mrrow_ed contentedly. I cut myself off as I glanced around the clearing. There were so many RushClan cats, and so few from CoveClan that were able to fight. We were greatly outnumbered. What if CoveClan was destroyed by RushClan? What would happen then? Would I be forced to live in RushClan? Would Beechwood force me to be his mate and bear his kits? Suddenly feeling dizzy, I fell to the ground and was unable to get back up. My flanks had stopped bleeding, luckily, but there was something else. There was...a new...weight in my chest. I watched the cats around me, my Clanmates, both new and former, fight for survival. I heard the squeal of a kit before everything went black.


	25. Chapter 21

**W00t! Last chapter, people! Tell me if you want me to do an epilogue, because I will if you really want me to.**

Chapter 21: Rivenheart

Dedicated to RaynyCrowy

I gazed around the camp, my heart slowly breaking. Destruction. So much destruction. That was all their was. Crimsonclaw, Smallstar's brother and the deputy of CoveClan, was dead, along with Owlpelt, Dawnfeather, Wolftooth, and several others who had not been as close to me, but were still friends, though I couldn't quite tell who was who through their masks of blood. Whiteheart was in the medicine den now. She had woken from her haze, and Midnightshadow, the medicine cat, reported that she was pregnant. Of course, this made me absolutely _furious_, though I knew my sweet, dear Whiteheart was not to blame. It was that disgusting Beechwood scum. Palekit and Shadowkit padded past me sheepishly, being herded ino the nursery by a furious, fretting Onyxwing. I allowed myself a brief purr. Onyxwing loved every kit as though they were her own, although most of them were. Onyxwing was on her fifth litter of kits now, and I think she and Splashdown were aiming for a sixth.

"Rivenheart?" Smallstar called gloomily from the leader's den. I padded over to her. "Rivenheart," she repeated. "CoveClan needs a new deputy. I want you to lead CoveClan someday."

"What?" I mewed, my body rigid with shock. Why would she choose _me_? There were so many other cats that were much more worthy than I was!

"You fought bravely in the battle, and you took five of Bramblestar's nine lives. You also injured several RushClan cats, not out of malice, but out of honor. You did everything with honor. You did everything for your Clan. You are much more worthy of being deputy than any other cat in this camp."

"When will you announce it?" I asked.

"At moonhigh," Smallstar replied. "It's sunrise now. Why don't you help your Clanmates into the medicine den?"

I nodded and padded off. Most cats would be bursting with joy over receiving such a coveted position, but I was more or less neutral.

"Rivenheart?" The call belonged to Foxfang, my sister Cinnamontail's youngest son. I padded calmly over to him and helped him to his paws. The young ginger tom staggered along the cave floor toward the nook in the wall where the medicine den was located.

Inside the den, Midnightshadow was working furiously at her job, padding cobwebs onto wounds, setting broken bones, and easing shock. Palekit came bounding in.

"Do you want me to help?" she mewed to Midnightshadow.

"Palekit!" I meowed. "You know you're supposed to be in the nursery with Onyxwing."

"It's quite alright," Onyxwing replied. I spun around to face her. "She told me she wanted to help heal her Clanmates, so I allowed her to go into the medicine den." She turned to Palekit. "But you're only allowed in here from sunrise to sunhigh. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Onyxwing," Palekit replied.

"Well," Midnightshadow sighed. "I could use all the help I can get. Thank you, Palekit. The rest of you, please leave. It's getting a bit crowded in here."

I turned and padded off with Onyxwing, leaving Foxfang with Midnightshadow.

"Wait!" the she-cat called after me. I turned around. "Whiteheart would like to speak to you."

I nodded and padded back into the den. At the back, in a little section closed off from the rest of the den, lay Whiteheart. Her stomach had already begun to bulge.

"Rivenheart?" she mewed.

"I'm right here," I replied softly, placing my tail on her flank.

"Rivenheart, I want to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"I know that Beechwood got me pregnant, and I hate him for it, and I just want you to know that you're the only tom I'll ever love. I beg of your forgiveness, and I hope you'll believe me."

"Oh, Whiteheart," I sighed, licking her cheek. "I already _have_ forgiven you." Together, we curled up in the nest in the back of the medicine den and fell asleep.


	26. Epilogue

**Ooh, awesome. Three new fans! The epilogue is going to be written in third person, because I need to practice it. I've gotten so used to first person, and all my other stories are in third. Also, be warned, I have never written an epilogue before, so I'm sorry if it stinks. So, here goes!**

**crowfeather51: Here it is! And yes, there is going to be a series. Since I finished this book much earlier than I had planned, I think I might upload the second one sooner than March fifth.**

**Palepaw: I think she might.**

**I Be Guest: Thanks!**

Epilogue: A Confession

"Rivenheart," Whiteheart mewed as the two padded along the bank of the stream. "Where in StarClan's name are you taking me?"

"You'll see," Rivenheart replied. Rivenheart had been up earlier that morning, wanting to take part in the dawn patrol. He had found something that he thought might interest his mate.

"Well," Whiteheart meowed exasperatedly. "Can we please hurry it up? You know I'm close to kitting."

"I know," Rivenheart meowed, a hint of malice in his tone. "I know." It was true, Whiteheart was giving birth to a second litter of kits, and their first litter still had a moon to go before they were even apprenticed. That was not what bothered Rivenheart, though. What made Rivenheart seeth with anger was the fact that his mate was giving birth to another tom's kits. Beechwood, the long-haired brown tom with sparkling green eyes. Rivenheart had not gotten to know the young tom very well in the two times they had met, but that was because Beechwood lived in RushClan, Whiteheart's old Clan, and because both times the two had been fighting over Whiteheart. Rivenheart knew that if Beechwood found out that Whiteheart was bearing his kits, he would demand custody of them. Of course, Smallstar probably wouldn't refuse, as she and her brother Crimsonclaw, who had been slaughtered during the battle with RushClan, saw Beechwood mating forcefully with Whiteheart as well.

Rivenheart was so caught up in his reverie that he almost missed his stop. "Oh," he mewed. "Right through this bush." Together, he and his mate brushed through the undergrowth. "Stop!" Rivenheart cried, dashing in front of his mate right before she fell into the ditch in the center of the clearing.

"Oh, Rivenheart," Whiteheart whispered. "It's absolutely wonderful."

The clearing, secluded by a circle of brambles and thorn bushes, was filled with tall, green grass and flowers. Loads and loads of flowers. Most of them grew there, but after the dawn patrol, Rivenheart had returned to place some flowers around the outside of the ditch, which he assumed used to be a small pond. A shaft of sunlight filtered into the ditch, which was covered in moss that grew on the sides and the bottom. Dust motes danced and twirled in the light. Whiteheart watched them in awe.

"I found it on the dawn patrol," Rivenheart replied. "It can be our special place. We could bring the kits here sometimes and let them play. Of course, only when everyone else is asleep."

"But what if they tell someone, and we can't come here anymore? Whiteheart fretted.

"I'm sure that if they'll value this place as much as we do, they'll keep their mouths shut."

"Riven..." Whiteheart started, then stopped. Her body began to convusle, and she let out a _mrrow_ of pain. Rivenheart knew that his mate was giving birth. He had been in the nursery, giving Onyxwing a mouse, when she delivered her third litter of kits. He also knew that he couldn't help his mate in any way unless he had some...herbs! Rivenheart had a decent knowledge of herbs and where they grew. He knew he would need borage leaves, cobwebs, and possibly juniper berries. Rivenheart knew exactly where to get them, though it would be very dangerous.

"Stay right here!" Rivenheart instruced as he dashed off.

"Like I have a choice!" Whiteheart called as he dashed away.

Rivenheart bounded toward the RushClan camp. It was just past dawn, and cats would be waking, so he would have to go very cautiously. Arriving at the ledge of the camp wall, he began his cautious descent toward the medicine den, which was directly below him. The medicine cat, a short-tailed brown tom, padded out of the den and exited the camp. Knowing that the den was now unguarded made Rivenheart feel a bit less frightened, but the fear came right back when a bracken colored tom padded in. Finding a narrow ledge on the wall of the camp, Rivenheart eased himself onto it and hid himself behind a swath of scraggly, dried out ferns that grew there. He sent a fervent prayer to StarClan that they would make the bracken colored tom leave soon. Luckily, he emerged a moment later with two young she-cats, probably apprentices, dragging out three dead bodies. Rivenheart felt a pang of pity for the cats that had died in the medicine den that dawn. He could tell from the stale scents that drifted up from the bodies that they had died not too long ago.

"Cats of RushClan!" Bramblestar, the leader of RushClan, emerged from his den within the Highledge.

_Perfect!_ Rivenheart thought. _Now I can sneak in, get the herbs, and sneak back out without anyone noticing me!_ Stealthily, sticking to the shadows of the cliff, which were quickly recessing, the black tom clawed his way down to the camp. Once he reached the ground, he padded around to the back of the medicine den and pushed his way inside. Right away, he found the stack of herbs. He took as much as he could from each pile, the exited the den from the back and clambered back up the wall of the camp.

As he raced away, Rivenheart heard a cat yowl, "Someone has stolen herbs from the medicine den!" Rain began to fall, and Rivenheart prayed that it would cover up the scent he had left in the den.

"You're back!" Whiteheart mewed as Rivenheart crashed into the clearing. In front of her lay five tiny kits.

Rivenheart spat the sour tasting herbs on the ground. "_Five_ kits?" he cried. "How is that possible? He had only started mating with you when I showed up!"

"I know," Whiteheart replied breathlessly. "I feel _horrible_!"

"Why on eart do you feel bad? You just had five kits!"

"Well," Whiteheart admitted. "I...kind of...even though I sounded furious, I actually...kind of...liked it. I mean, I _did_ promise him that I'd wait for him, and plus, I knew I'd get another litter of kits out of it. And plus, he's _so_ handsome!"

Rivenheart was seething with fury by the time Whiteheart had gotten halfway through the first sentence of her explanation. "You _allowed_ this to happen?"

"Of course not!" Whiteheart mewed. "I mean, I didn't _know_ I'd get pregnant. I just _thought_ I would. And besides, you already said you'd forgiven me."

Rivenheart took in a deep breath. "You're right," he replied. "We can't return to camp, you know. None of these kits look like me. There will be questions, and someone would eventually figure it out. We can't return. This is our home now."

"I suppose you're right," Whiteheart sighed. "But what will we do about Palekit and Shadowkit?"

"Leave them," Rivenheart replied. "I'm sure Onyxwing or Ashensoul will look after them."

"Okay," Whiteheart agreed after a moment of silence. As she nudged her five new kits closer to her belly, Rivenheart padded off to hunt. For some reason, despite the fact that he now lived right in between the territories of RushClan and CoveClan, he felt happy. He was happy to be living on the edge. He was happy that he could finally live freely.

For the young tom, this seemed to be the end to his problems. What he didn't know was that it was just the beginning.


End file.
